


Tickety-Boo (Ineffable Husbands Week 2019)

by Zakani_Donovan



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Angel Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale Loves Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale's True Form (Good Omens), Crowley Loves Aziraphale (Good Omens), Cute, Fluff, Gay, Happy Ending, Ineffable Husbands Week 2019, Ineffable Idiots (Good Omens), Light Angst, M/M, Snake Crowley (Good Omens), good omens - Freeform, growing relationship, ineffable husbands, self indulgent content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:27:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 26,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24879970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zakani_Donovan/pseuds/Zakani_Donovan
Summary: As the title states, this book will be used for prompts for the ineffable husbands week. They will most likely not be in date, but I will make the effort to have something for each prompt. I doubt each chapter will be very long but they will all have a minimum of 1,000 words. Bold for emphasis, italic for inner monologues.
Relationships: Aziraphale & Crowley (Good Omens), Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter Prompts

**Author's Note:**

> This is the SFW variant of the challenge/activity because I cannot write smut to save my life, therefore the NSFW version would be a waste on my page. Originally posted on Wattpad in September 2019.

The following are the prompts for the week:

Chapter 1: _Dancing / Music / Poetry_

Chapter 2: _Rain / Storm / Downpour_

Chapter 3: _Fall / Plummet / Dive_

Chapter 4: _Senses; Touch / Sight / Hearing / Taste / Smell_

Chapter 5: _Battle / Fight / Argue_

Chapter 6: _Trip / Drive / Destination_

Chapter 7: _Eternity / Destiny / Ineffable_

Chapter 8: _Sins; Lust / Gluttony / Wrath / Pride / Sloth / Envy / Greed_


	2. 1: A Celestially-Occult Love Song

Even though books were his first love, Aziraphale also adored music. He could spend hours in his shop listening to it. Whether it'd be Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Bach or Debussy, he'd always find enjoyment in hearing it. No matter how many times he had heard a specific record, he'd smile and swoon over it as if it was his first time hearing it.

Crowley found this adorable. This was one of the biggest reasons why he never complained about the music whenever he was over. The pure enjoyment in the angel's whole body as the notes filled the atmosphere was truly a sight to see. The demon stared at him, much like he'd do while they were at dinner. His elbow on the armrest of the sofa, chin on his palm, hand covering half his mouth, as always. One day, the angel noticed.

"Why do you do that?" He asked with a tilt of the head as he closed the book he was reading.

Crowley didn't shift in position or try to be nonchalant but he still wanted Aziraphale to elaborate, just because. "What?"

"Look at me like that. We're not talking, and yet, you look infatuated with me." The angel explained.

Crowley grinned behind his hand. "I am. Have you ever seen yourself when you listen to music like this?"

Aziraphale felt a small blush on his cheeks. "I- no. I can't say I have..." 

"Well, you should know it's very pleasing to look at. You radiate joy, makes everything around you swell with love. It's quite lovely."

Crowley's speech filter, which was supposed to keep him from sounding too soft, was basically nonexistent after the whole Armageddon scare a few months ago. He no longer cared about what he sounded like, he now went by feeling. Which is why he was being so honest and barely stuttered.

Realization slowly took over the blond's face. He could sense the sweetness in the demon's words and his body language. There was no doubt he could feel his love. Now he felt foolish. All those times when they were alone in the bookshop listening to music and he thought the love he could sense was either his own for said music, or the affection still laced into it by the late composers. He knew now that it was neither. It was Crowley's love for him which would fill the shop along with the beautiful symphonies. It was now that Aziraphale knew for sure that their love, this specific type of love, was a mutual one.

"... Is that why you're silent whenever you're here and I don't strike up conversation?" He asked, wanting to confirm what he felt was a love confession, without the actual confession.

"Most of the time, yes." Crowley admitted.

Aziraphale tutted, rolling his eyes and not understanding that logic. "Does- doesn't that get boring? Surely there's **something** else you'd rather be doing instead of just watching me."

Even with his shades on, Aziraphale could tell he was obviously looking at him in deep thought. For a while, only the music filled the air. Crowley then looked at the record player, smiled softly (the same smile he had only seen once before, when they drank in celebration at the Ritz after their trials) and snapped in its direction. It started playing something Aziraphale had never heard.

He automatically stood to see what had replaced the William Bird record but saw no identifying marks of any kind. "What's this? I don't recognize it."

"David G. Arnold. He's still alive, you wouldn't know him. Lovely though, isn't it?" The demon said, crossing the room. Crowley then held out his hand. "May I have this dance, angel?"

This is when Aziraphale realized what was playing was a waltz. Something he definitely did not know how to dance. The blush returned to Aziraphale's face, as well as his ears now. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so flustered.

"I'm, uh... I'm afraid I- I don't know how to dance that." He said, looking down at his own shoes. He then saw Crowley's come into view, as well as the same hand he had held out about a minute ago.

Now that hand made its way over to the angel's chin, gently lifting his head with his index finger and his thumb so they were facing each other once more. While doing that lifting motion, Aziraphale noticed the serpent's signature sunglasses folded and hanging off the demon's shirt. Had it not been for that, Crowley's bare eyes would've truly surprised him. 

A tiny smile graced the ginger's lips as he let go of the angel's jaw. "Neither do I. I just feel like dancing with you and there's no chance in Hell, Heaven or Earth that I'm doing the gavotte...It'll be equally embarrassing for the both of us, what do you say?"

Realistically, Aziraphale would prefer there was no embarrassment at all, but the beauty of the music playing just behind them made the choice for him. He gave the demon that trusting look he knew all-too-well and nodded.

Crowley smiled at this, taking one of the angel's hands and placing it over his shoulder. As he wraps his own arm around Aziraphale to rest his hand on the small of his back, he also clasped their other hands together. At first, their closeness warranted some getting used to. Neither one of them could stop staring into the other's eyes. They both seemed to be in a trance. Perhaps they were. There was an overwhelming feeling of love surrounding them, it was much stronger than usual.

They finally started moving in the small space, trying so very hard not to step on each other (too much, because they knew it was inevitable). The angel couldn't believe that this was actually happening, but he knew it was, because his entire being was tingling with love. Both his and Crowley's. Now it was so obvious, obvious to anyone with or without supernatural powers, that the demon's walls were down. That's why Aziraphale could sense his feelings with such strength now, but for millennia, couldn't recognize them.

Music always made that emotion feel stronger in Crowley, because Crowley loved music as much as Aziraphale did. The major difference was: the demon had created a chamber of sorts, and would keep most of that love locked away. He was a demon, he knew he shouldn't feel this way in the first place but he did, and he feared they'd get in trouble for it. Hiding it was his natural response. It would occasionally escape, but never completely. Music would amplify it, making it harder to keep it under wraps. That, coupled with the sheer joy the angel expelled and this newly found sense of freedom he had, were enough to finally break down the walls Crowley had formed inside his being. His love was now out and engulfing Aziraphale as they danced awkwardly in the cluttered bookshop.

They danced (shuffled, stepped on each other, and laughed about it) for hours, up until the angel was tired of hearing the same piece over and over again. Even after stopping, they still held each other the same way. Well, not exactly the same. Their foreheads were touching now and they felt more intimate than ever before. As far as Aziraphale was concerned, this whole moment was a love song. Their love song. A more beautiful one than any other ever put to paper, voiced or played.


	3. 2: A Gloomy Night In Mayfair

Crowley always hated bad weather, Aziraphale knew this. He could trace the demon's hatred for it all the way back to the day of The Great Flood. (Which was also the day he found out Crowley had a soft spot for children because he soon saw him smuggling some onto Noah's ark without anyone else noticing. He let it slide because he had wanted to do the same, but couldn't.) Ever since then, the rain would put the old serpent in a bad mood. Whether it be anger or sadness just depended on how his week had gone. He'd usually show up at the bookshop and wait out the storm there, talking or doing anything to not acknowledge it causing chaos outside of the building. Aziraphale didn't mind, and he had grown quite accustomed to this. It almost made him look forward to horrible weather.

This time however, Aziraphale knew Crowley would not step foot in the bookshop. In one of their many conversations during the week, the demon groaned and complained about his scales and his wings. Apparently, both his forms decided to sync up, and now he was stuck with the discomfort of shedding his snake-skin and molting his feathers at the same time. Usually he'd flip between human and snake forms to ease the physical annoyance but this time, it'd just be a different type of annoyance no matter which shape he took. According to the demon, the easier issue to bare with was the skin, so he dealt with that first. He was still fighting an uphill battle with the wings, though.

This is why Aziraphale decided he would go to Crowley's flat for the storm to keep him company. He knew how much of a drag it was to leave your home when molting, it was dreadful. And it would only add to the redhead's bad mood if he was stuck there, not by choice, by himself during a thunderstorm. Since the angel knew the demon's refrigerator was most likely empty, apart from anything alcoholic or strange, he filled an old picnic basket with several goodies and made his way over to the Mayfair apartment building.

~~~~~

Aziraphale rang the doorbell and waited patiently for the door to be opened. He could hear the sky rumbling just above him. The rain had started about an hour ago, but the lightning and thunder seemed to be tardy for once. Usually it was the other way around. As he lifted his hand to press the button again, the door swung open halfway. A sleep-deprived looking Crowley glared at him, scanning him with totally serpent eyes. Aziraphale noticed he wasn't wearing his usual style of outfit. Instead, he was in silk pajamas.

(Or rather, silk pajama pants because he was shirtless, which was very unlike Crowley. Still black, of course, which was very much Crowley.)

"Angel, what are you doing here?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Aziraphale noticed he was trying to hide something by standing in the way of the entrance. "As I'm sure you're aware by now, the storm finally arrived. I wasn't about to leave you alone just because your current state makes you think twice about leaving your home."

"Did you **walk** here with this weather?" He asked, about to be outraged if he said 'yes' because he would've picked him up and brought him, even in the horrible mood he was in. Again, he made sure Aziraphale couldn't see directly into the flat.

The angel glared at him. "Of course not. Just a snap, a wave and I was in your building's lift on my way up here. I thought about getting a taxi but I couldn't be bothered to wait."

Crowley looked annoyed, not with the principality, but annoyed nonetheless. "You should've called, this place is a mess and I-"

Aziraphale rolled his eyes and gently shoved Crowley out of the way to enter the darkly-lit flat. The taller being was still trying to process that Aziraphale, who always got on his case for lacking manners (even though he was a literal demon) had just forced his way into his home. Embarrassment quickly took over because he turned to see the angel placing the basket on top of the coffee-table as he inspected the black feathers which were scattered all over the living room. Crowley locked the door and snapped his fingers, making them disappear.

"Hard to keep the place clean when I'm like this. I would've been fine, you didn't have to-"

Aziraphale waved him off, sitting on the leather couch and opening the basket. "Nonsense, dear boy. I go through this little fiasco myself every year. More than once if I'm really stressed. I can handle a whole mess of feathers, no problem. Had it been the skin shedding instead, maybe I'd be squeamish. Speaking of that, how are your scales doing?"

Crowley couldn't help but feel strange. This was only the second time the angel had been in his flat and both times, there'd been a mess of some kind. The first being Ligur's melted remains because it wasn't like Crowley had time to clean it before sprinting out of there. Although, Aziraphale helping him with said mess lead to them figuring out what the last prophecy meant, so maybe it was a good thing he hadn't cleaned it up himself.

He snapped out of that train of thought when he noticed Aziraphale looking at him, expectantly. He then clenched his fist to force out some of the black scales through his human skin on the back of his hand, as he wasn't in the mood to turn serpent at the moment. He held out his hand for the angel to see.

Aziraphale took his hand, impressed. He wasn't aware Crowley could do that. He assumed there were just his two forms, no in-between. The principality caressed the scales, almost admiring them. Before either of them could say anything, thunder cracked overhead and shook the flat, startling them both.

"Well. That was a rather loud one. Where was the lightning beforehand to warn us?" Asked Aziraphale as he moved back towards the basket and taking out a box full of pastries.

Crowley rolled his eyes, sitting next to the angel. "I think She does it on purpose sometimes just to make everyone jump."

"She does have a sense of humor. Just look at the fossil record." Aziraphale said with a chuckle.

~~~~~

The two chatted away, Crowley barely touched anything edible (or alcoholic), he constantly rolled his shoulders and sometimes shivered. Aziraphale could tell he was uncomfortable. He could also tell how tired he was. He found this behavior strange. Usually he'd have no issue with falling asleep in the bookshop. What was the problem now? Was it related to the weather?

The shorter male gave him a soft look. "Why don't you go to bed? You look like you need to rest. I've been talking your ear off since I got here."

"Oh come on, angel. You made the effort to show up to my gloomy little apartment to keep me company. The least I could do is stay up." Said the demon, straightening his back against the couch.

Aziraphale wasn't having it and he stood up gingerly. "Yes, you'll say that until your head touches the mattress. Come along." Said the angel, practically dragging him off the couch.

Aziraphale couldn't quite remember the layout of Crowley's flat but he was fairly certain of where he had seen the bedroom last time he was here. It took some directions from the demon to actually reach the bedroom but he appreciated the angel's intentions.

Now, even though you'd think Crowley's biggest foe would be all of Heaven (minus Aziraphale), Hell, or thinking logically, it was actually cold temperatures. Whenever the weather was like this, he needed to wrap himself up in as many layers as possible or be near the angel, as he was a literal ray of sunshine which kept him warm at all times. Tonight's storm however was so cold, that Aziraphale simply being there was doing nothing for him. He couldn't cover himself up either because his shoulder-blades were aching thanks to the molting.

Crowley sat at the foot of the bed with an exasperated sigh and looked at himself in the mirror door to his wardrobe. "Thanks angel."

"Of course, dear. Do you need anything?" He asked, ready to snap up whatever he told him to.

The demon scoffed. "My wings to stop being a pain in the back and the weather to stop being a pain in the rest of my body. Don't think you can do anything for either issue, I'm afraid." He replied, still staring at himself.

"Perhaps there is." Said Aziraphale, as if he had just realized something.

Crowley finally looked at him, eyebrow arched.

"Well, if you trust me to, I can help you with your wings. Ease your discomfort..." Suggested the blond.

Silence fell over the room for what felt like forever, but eventually, Crowley broke it. "...Alright..." He was more curious than anything, wondering what he'd do.

The skinny demon rolled his shoulders, unfolding his wings. Usually they looked perfect, but right now, they were a mess. Dozens of feathers were crooked and small gaps were visible in various spots of both appendages. Not wanting to look at them, he laid down on his stomach, facing away from the mirror. A thunderclap made him flinch and caused another shiver to go down his spine.

Aziraphale pouted as he sat on the edge of the bed. Gently, he placed a hand on Crowley's left wing. "You let me know if this is doing more harm than good."

Crowley nodded into one of his pillows. He sank deeper into the mattress as Aziraphale started preening and removing loose feathers. However, the demon quickly realized what the angel was doing. His hands were warmer than usual, they were even glowing. With every small movement, Crowley felt a rush of warmth course through his body. If it weren't for the fact that he could hear the downpour and the thundering, he could've been fooled into thinking the storm had stopped. He stopped shivering and felt like he was melting under the principality's touch.

"Angel, I didn't know you could multitask." He managed to say, mostly into the pillow.

Aziraphale smiled, seeing his plan was somewhat working. He knew the demon wanted to sleep and getting his temperature back to normal would help him do just that. He made sure he touched and soothed every inch of that wing before standing and sitting on the other side of the bed to do the same to Crowley's right wing.

Somehow, the demon hadn't fallen asleep yet. Of course, he was much more comfortable now in every sense of the word.

Crowley watched and listened to the raindrops that were crashing into his bedroom window. He shifted a little, moving his wing a bit more into Aziraphale's hands. "It's ironic, really. I used to love the rain. Then The Flood happened and ruined that fondness. Ever have a memory you'd like to completely forget about? That's mine."

Aziraphale was surprised by this, considering how quiet they had been the whole time he was working (quite literal) miracles on the other's wings. Not to mention what he suddenly started talking about. "You loved the rain? I would've never guessed. You being a snake and all. I assumed you hated it as soon as The Almighty created it."

Crowley shrugged gently. "Well, my body has never agreed with it. It was more the association with you, really."

The angel's hands stopped carding through the demon's feathers as he looked down at him. He wasn't entirely sure he heard that correctly. "Me?"

"Mhmm. You used your wing to shield me from the rain, remember? Every time it rained after that, I thought of you. How sweet the gesture was. (And you had no reason to be, I was there to cause trouble!) How soft and warm you were. It was a nice memory linked to the falling water. Then, The Almighty decided to cock all that up with the ark and the flood..." Explained the demon.

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that, dear." Was all Aziraphale said, not really knowing what else to add.

Crowley pushed himself up to look at the angel. "It's alright. I'm starting associate something else with rain and stormy weather. Something better." He said softly while hiding his wings once more and snapping on his pajama's black silk shirt.

"Really? That's good. I hope it outlasts the flood memory." Said Aziraphale sweetly.

Thunder and lightning sounded off again, but this time, Crowley didn't flinch. He simply reached over to grip Aziraphale's hand. "I have a feeling it will... Thank you for coming over tonight, angel." He kissed the principality's hand lovingly, as if he didn't want to let go.

The whites of his eyes were visible, he seemed like himself again (mostly, he wasn't done molting yet, but this had definitely helped) and Aziraphale knew he had made the right choice by coming here. As a result, Crowley no longer hated storms because he knew his angel would always be there to comfort him as much as possible.


	4. 3: A Tad Bit Uncoordinated

Neither one of them was the most elegant when it came to walking. Aziraphale moved normally, while Crowley did anything but. Looking at them, you'd think the redhead would be the one who constantly tripped over his own feet on a daily basis. And, in fact, that was the case most of the time, he'd just play it off and keep going. You wouldn't think it was the stockier gentleman who was always by his side. And yet, recently anyway, Aziraphale was always picking himself off the ground or having Crowley lend him a hand.

The first time it happened, they were out in St. James Park. A normal stroll, nothing out of the ordinary, and as far as the demon was aware, the most normal of incidents. There were a few children running along, chasing each other, not being aware of their surroundings. One of them crashed right into the angel, sending them both down onto the damp grass below. It took every fiber of Crowley's being to stop himself from hissing at the young boy for running over his partner like that. No one was hurt, clothes weren't ruined, and the child apologized to Aziraphale before sprinting back to his little group of friends. It was simple, not worrisome in the slightest and the two supernatural entities continued chatting along as they made their way from one end of the park to the other.

The second time was just a few days after the first. This time they were in a local plant nursery. Aziraphale had insisted Crowley get some flowers to add to the flat's garden and the demon figured it'd be alright, so long as these new plants were as obedient as the ones he currently owned. As they browsed the shelves and tables of the shop, looking at the different types of flowers, the angel slipped. The apparent cause for this was a small puddle under one of the tables which was now spilling into the visible part of the floor. Crowley was quick to pull up Aziraphale, inspecting him to make sure he was alright. He also miracle'd away the water so it wouldn't happen again. Once he knew he was fine, they picked some calla-lilies, some roses, even a small hibiscus bush, and left the nursery.

The third time did not feel as isolated. It was to be expected, they were ice-skating. Adam had invited them along for Pepper's birthday party and The Them insisted they join them on the frozen lake. They assumed the angel would be able to do fancy tricks and spins on top of the ice. They were very much wrong. Most of the time he spent on the ice, he was latched onto Crowley (not that the demon had a problem with that). Somehow, Crowley managed to keep him up on his feet for most of the day but the principality inevitably fell. At least this time, it had been into Crowley's arms and not any hard surface.

The fourth time was in St. James Park again, only this time, there was more embarrassment to be had. They were having a picnic. Everything had been pleasant up until when they were about to leave. Aziraphale tumbled backwards as he stood, thanks to the blanket they had placed on the grass, and he almost fell into the duck pond. Some people who witnessed this found it amusing, some were just as concerned for him as Crowley was, and others simply thought it was cute seeing a couple 'that old' still going out on picnic dates.

By the fifth time, the serpent **knew** there was something off about the angel. This time, it had happened in the bookshop, a place they both knew in incredible detail. If it had been over something new, maybe it could've just been another accident, but it wasn't. It was caused by a small pile of books which had been there for **literal decades** and had never been an issue before today.

"Seriously angel, what's gotten into you lately?" The demon asked as he lifted him off the floor and dusted him off. "I feel like I'm picking you up from the ground on a regular basis now!"

It happened, he **finally** took the bait and Aziraphale could not hold back that little mischievous grin he had mastered over the centuries. "Well, I suppose it's quite obvious that I've really **fallen** for you, dear." He told him, covering his mouth to hold in his giggling.

Crowley's facial expression changed as soon as he heard the 'f' word. He had been holding the principality gently, as if he was a fragile little thing. However, after the joke was made, he proceeded to push him down onto the sofa behind him with force.

"Oh, for **fuck's sake**! You're really proud of that one, aren't you?" He exclaimed as he started to pace around the shop. Now Aziraphale was laughing full-heartedly on the old couch as the demon glared at him, shaking his head. It made sense though. **Of course** Aziraphale would put time and effort into a dumb little pun to get on Crowley's nerves. And, **of course** , it took much longer than it should've for Crowley to realize it was a joke.

Eventually he sat next to him and placed an arm over him, giving him the type of hug that said 'I can't believe you're that stupid but I love you for it'. Still not believing, and at the same time fully believing, that the angel went through all that trouble for a simple pun. The pudgy being laid his head on Crowley's shoulder, leaning into him comfortably like one would a pillow and the hellion, soft as ever, placed a gentle kiss on the angel's forehead.

_I'll gladly take **this** kind of falling from your part over the one **I** had to endure. You silly, **blessed** angel..._ He thought to himself before Aziraphale began to talk about his newest literary acquisition.


	5. 4: A Brand New Sensation

It took some convincing, but that wily old fiend finally managed to get the angel into his bed. Crowley didn't understand why he was so stubborn about it. After all, it was just sleeping. Sure they didn't **need** it, but it was quite enjoyable and it wasn't like Aziraphale didn't indulge in earthly pleasures too. What's one more added to the list?

The demon had insisted on it, and it seemed only fair, after he had begrudgingly accompanied him to dreadfully boring play just a few weeks ago. Normally, he would've taken a nap as the actors were on stage, but every time Aziraphale noticed him dozing off, he'd pinch him and Crowley would always hiss in response. It was incredibly annoying for the snake but it made for some entertainment for the young child of the rich family who were sat near them, as he too, was bored out of his goddamn mind.

Crowley had considered taking Aziraphale somewhere like a nightclub or a motorbike rally, just to hear him groan and see him pout like he had in the theater. But the truth was, he didn't like being the reason for the angel's discomfort, even if it was only for a short while. So he decided to do the opposite: introduce him to some comfort he was not familiar with yet.

That night, he and Aziraphale came back to his flat after dinner instead of going to the bookshop. As far as lounging was concerned, the shop was definitely more inviting and cozy, they were both aware of this. But when it came to sleeping, obviously the best of the two homes would be the one that **actually had a bed**. Since the whole point of this was to sleep, the blond entity immediately made his way over to the bedroom. (At least now, he remembered exactly where it was.)

He sat on the edge of the bed, hands folded neatly over his lap and he waited for Crowley to walk in after having put away the dessert from the restaurant in the refrigerator. When the demon entered his room, he gave the angel a funny look.

"What are you doing?" He asked, trying not to roll his eyes.

Aziraphale looked at him as if the answer were staring at him in the face. "Going to bed, obviously."

The snake grinned. "Angel, you haven't even taken your shoes off yet!"

"Oh, right you are." He said, only just remembering that shoes weren't typically worn while sleeping. Since he cared so little for this mundane need, he didn't really look into it.

He took off his shoes, placing them perfectly centered with the night-stand, then went back to sitting properly and waiting for instructions.

Crowley sighed, still amused. "Firstly, you can't go to bed dressed like **that**. You're supposed to be comfortable."

"My clothes are **very** comfortable." Argued the blue-eyed being.

The demon shook his head at him. "Not the same type of comfortable. Snap yourself up some pajamas or anything that's soft or stretches more than what you currently have on." He told him, helping him stand up.

Aziraphale glared at him. He didn't see the point. He was an angel after all, he could make any type of clothing feel incredibly and impossibly comfortable on his body. But he figured, why not go along with it? Considering how much Crowley had insisted they sleep together. He doubted it'd be harmful, and he knew it would make the old serpent happy.

"Fine. Any suggestions?"

"Anything silk or velvet. Feels great against your skin." Replied Crowley without missing a beat.

The shorter gave him a nod. "Right. And in terms of style?"

Crowley shrugged. "Depends. Pants and a shirt are the norm these days but a night-shirt is acceptable if you don't want anything down there like pants. Especially since you were very fond of robes and togas and were upset when they went out of style a few centuries ago. Oh yes, some people prefer using only a bathrobe and nothing under it so, that's an option."

"An option I won't be partaking in, thank you. What do you usually wear?" He asked curiously.

Crowley snapped his fingers and he was now wearing those black silk pajamas he loved so much. His glasses had also disappeared from his face and ended up on his office desk. The angel inspected the clothing as the demon extended his arm for him to feel.

"Hmm... I can see the appeal. Very well." With a flamboyant wave of the hand, the angel was dressed in a pair of pajamas similar to Crowley's but in a soft shade of blue. "How's this?"

The redhead shrugged again. "You tell me. This is about **your** comfort."

Aziraphale snapped his fingers, making the sleeves go from full length to above the elbows. "No need for that much fabric. After all, I'll be under the covers."

"There you go, now you're starting to get it. Come on." Crowley said, moving the sheets and inviting the principality into bed.

The angel settled in as much as he could and waited for Crowley to do the same. Obviously, it was easier for the demon. He got in, placing his right arm under a pillow and squeezing it harder against his head and neck. He sighed before looking at the sweet face lying across from him.

"Alright. Close your eyes and relax." He told him.

Aziraphale did as told, but about thirty seconds after that, he asked: "And now what?"

"Think of whatever it is you like best." Said Crowley in his best impression of the angel's voice. It sounded like he was mocking him but Aziraphale knew better.

"Preferably not food because you'll get the urge to go to the kitchen for a midnight snack. Knowing you, you wouldn't want to come back." He added before shutting his own eyes and sinking further into the mattress.

The angel hummed and tried to focus on anything that could make him feel sleepy enough. Or at all, really. He wished he could miracle himself into a nice slumber. Instead, he ended up staring at the ceiling.

_**Aziraphale's POV:** _

_Really now, this is preposterous! This shouldn't be so difficult. It shouldn't be difficult at all! Look at Crowley, he does it so effortlessly..._

He breathed deeply, not knowing what to do with himself. He fiddled with his hands for a few short moments until he heard the demon snoring softly next to him. Aziraphale glanced over at him and felt his heart flutter.

_He always looks so sweet when he sleeps. You wouldn't think he was such an ill-tempered creature just by looking at him like this. Then again, who else has the privilege to see him in this state these days?_

Since he looked so out of it, the angel slowly began propping himself up to a sitting position. Not entirely, but enough to read a book he just miracle'd into being. Before he was able to finish the first sentence of the first page, a snap from the opposite side of the bed made the book disappear. _What-_

"No reading, you're supposed to be sleeping." Muttered the demon.

Aziraphale huffed, looking at him once more only to find him in the same position. "Your eyes weren't even open! How did you know?!"

"6,000 years and you think I can't recognize what your miracles feel like? Come on angel, give me **some** credit." He told him, eyes now open.

The principality pouted. "Is there anything you do besides lie down? I can't seem to get into a relaxed enough mindset."

"No, that usually does the trick..." He told him, staring at him with those big, yellow eyes.

"Keeping my eyes shut for no real reason is surprisingly harder than I thou-"

Another snap. This time something covered Aziraphale's bright blue orbs. _Will you-_ He immediately removed the piece of cloth from around his head and glared at it.

"A mask? Really?"

Crowley nodded. "Some people need complete darkness to be able to sleep. The mask also helps because it's uncomfortable to have your eyes open while it's on. As for the relaxation part, I have an idea."

"Do tell."

"Come here." He said, inviting him into his arms. Aziraphale squirmed his way to Crowley's side of the bed. The demon guided him downward enough so the blond's head was now at the same level as his chest. Crowley then laid back, completely flat on the mattress, cradling Aziraphale's head against his chest.

_Oh_... The angel froze, not expecting to use Crowley himself as a pillow (for once, considering all the other times the snake had used him for a cushion).

"Do whatever you feel is comfortable with your arms. On me, under me, whatever you like, so long as you're at ease." He told him softly.

Aziraphale sank further into him but something just didn't feel right. He wanted to stay still and try to fall asleep, but there was something that told him this was slightly wrong. So he shifted and turned, now he was on his side, head still on Crowley's chest but now his right hand was as well. He proceeded to slip his left arm under the demon's torso. "Is this alright?"

"It's fine." Replied Crowley before snapping his fingers again. The mask was over Aziraphale's eyes once more and he had no choice but to shut them now. The demon's right hand started caressing the angel's head very gently. Not so much as a petting motion, but an adoring one all the same.

He heard Crowley yawn softly. "Think of whatever brings you peace, keep those eyes closed, and focus on my touch." The last words were barely a whisper.

_Don't you fall asleep on me now, you silly reptile. You're supposed to be helping._

Aziraphale nodded into his chest and sighed deeply, trying to force every molecule of his being to give in to sleep. A few moments passed and at least now he could say he was feeling a bit loopy. And that's when his focus went from the demon's fingers, to his chest. He could hear Crowley's heartbeat. Whatever daze the angel had been feeling quickly went away.

_His heart beats?_ The principality was aware their vessels had all the organs required for human life but they were mainly there for show. They didn't truly need to do their functions but they did so anyway. Though he always assumed demons lacked physical, **beating** hearts. And yet here was this one, distracting him with the noise it produced.

It thumped loudly against his ear but for whatever reason, he wanted to hear it more. _Why does this sound so lovely to me? It's just a heartbeat..._ He squeezed Crowley a little more, pressing just a bit harder into his chest.

The biggest reason why Aziraphale couldn't ignore the heartbeat was because of the mask which blindfolded him. Even with open eyes beneath it, he was unable to see and this heightened his other senses. Being touched was more effective and soothing than before, which was why he had gotten closer to falling asleep when he let Crowley's hand dance around his skull. Not to mention, his own touch now registered more because of the lack of vision. The sheets above and below them, the demon's pajamas which were against his cheek, the warmth which radiated from Crowley himself. These were all things he was aware of before but never like **this**.

Then came the sense of smell. He was still listening closely to the heartbeat when he decided to take a deep breath. There was no logical reason for an angel to breathe in, but he did at that very moment, which sent several kinds of scents up the blond's nose. He was hit with a bit of the demon's cologne first.

_Stubborn old thing, would it kill you to wear something new? It's been a century, you still wear the same cologne, yet you insists I'm the one who refuses to 'get with the times'._

Aziraphale wanted to chuckle but suppressed it, not wanting Crowley to stop moving his hand. He took another deep breath, this time smelling a hint of wine mixed in with soil and flower petals. He was surprised when he could barely detect his natural scent of brimstone anymore. Perhaps it faded slowly over time as they became more enamored with Earth and everything it offered them.

_Perhaps I don't smell like ozone and clouds anymore_... He thought, starting to drift off.

He sank further into the demon with that thought. He focused on everything he felt. The warmth, the beautiful heartbeat whispering to him, the smells that just made him who he was. Crowley, he focused on everything he currently felt **from** Crowley and he focused on everything he felt **for** Crowley.

**_ Crowley's POV: _ **

Aziraphale did, in fact, still smell of ozone and clouds. Not to mention old books, pastries and pure love. Tasted like them too. All Crowley had to do was turn his tongue serpentine and he could taste the air around him to recognize if there were a threat around. He rarely did this willingly, his body would do it in his sleep or when he was about to enter his slumber. It was a defense mechanism, one he did not need at this very moment. He tried ignoring the fact that he was tasting his partner but that was easier said than done. The angel tasted like ozone, clouds, sugar and honey. His usual scents (apart from the choice in cologne which seemed to change every single time he went to the barber).

_You couldn't be any sweeter even if you tried, could you, angel?_

By now, Crowley was fading as well, but he was determined to keep caressing the principality until he was sure he was asleep. He traced affectionate words onto Aziraphale's neck and back with his fingers, all while scanning his body with completely snake-like eyes. However, the slit pupils were nowhere near as thin as they were whenever he was stressed, they almost looked round. He could feel it too.

_Guess it's true what humans say, your pupils expand when you're looking at someone you love..._

Crowley had read that one day on Twitter. He had no idea whether it was true or not but he went along with it. Though, he distinctly recalls the post saying they could expand up to 45%, Crowley himself was feeling at 50% by now. He wondered if this had happened before but went unnoticed thanks to his sunglasses.

Suddenly he felt the former guardian of the eastern gate get heavier atop of him. Crowley heard his soft breathing, and he was much less rigid than he was before, totally limp. He had done it. He had gotten his angel into his bed and managed lulling him to sleep as well. This, all the sensations both of them experienced tonight, counted as a win in his book.

The snake finally shut his eyes and gave into his favorite sin. "Goodnight, angel..." He whispered into the shorter's scalp as he let out a relaxed sigh of his own.

_Hey God? I know you don't like me very much anymore but, can you **please** let him enjoy this? He deserves it..._

With that, he fell asleep. Usually Crowley would only mention The Almighty to criticize Her, but this time it almost sounded like a prayer. Luckily, he didn't remember it by morning because he was so drunk off Aziraphale's lovely emotions.


	6. 5: A Horrible Fright

A loud crash through the bookshop window sent both Crowley and Aziraphale sprinting out of the back room. They were met with two peculiarly ugly looking demons. Once they saw the couple, they lunged forward to attack. Crowley threw Aziraphale out of harm's way and tackled the female looking demon, trying to incapacitate her as much as possible.

The male demon quickly pulled him back and off the other hellion. Crowley spun around aiming to punch him but the demon blocked him and the other kicked him in the spine. The groan that emitted from his throat made Aziraphale come out of hiding. Without even thinking, he grabbed a nearby bottle of wine they had finished off a few hours ago and swung for the male demon's head. He fell to the floor like a bag of bricks, unconscious. Thankfully, the bottle had not shattered so Aziraphale still had his non-lethal weapon in hand.

The female demon lunged at Aziraphale, taking him down, wrapping her hands around his neck and trying to strangle him. The angel tried getting out of her grip but she was much stronger than he anticipated. Suddenly she was yanked off him and flung against a bookshelf, sending many books tumbling down on top of her. It gave the principality enough time to readjust himself before noticing that Crowley had turned serpent, and not in the usual form. The usual form would be the size of a normal rubber boa, this form was that akin to an anaconda.

Aziraphale was surprised by his size. It had been ages since he had seen him like this, and boy, was it a good thing the snake was on his side because the rage in his eyes could be enough to kill a lesser being just by staring at them.

The demon started moving from under the books and Crowley hissed loudly. When she finally emerged, Crowley lunged at her, sinking his fangs into her neck and she screamed. He began coiling himself around her and squeezing. He wasn't trying to take the air out of her lungs, no, he wanted to crush every bone in her body before doing what he had planned. It seemed to be working, until he felt a sharp pain somewhere along his elongated body. He bit down harder, but inevitably let go of her.

Once she was free, she tried attacking the angel again. This time, the angel was more prepared. He dodged the first attack, made his way behind her and used the bottle, sort of, like a garrote. He held her in place like this and began praying and rebuking her. She screamed loudly, painfully, so it must've been working. Unfortunately, Aziraphale stepped to the side and tripped over the still unconscious demon. Once again, she was on top of him, only this time, her weapon was clearly visible. As she was about to plunge it into his heart, they were all drenched in liquid.

Holy water.

The female demon screeched and melted on top of Aziraphale and all the residue leaked to the fallen demon, reducing him to a puddle too, without the screams. Aziraphale was mortified and was trying to process what had just happened.

Crowley had transformed back into his human vessel to see where exactly he had been stabbed. After shrugging off the injury, he had gone searching in an old trunk near the angel's desk. He had taken out a crystal orb from it, which was full of holy water, and flung it in their direction during the scuffle. It shattered upon making contact with the female demon's back and did exactly what it was meant to do. Crowley kept his distance, but the concern on his face was obvious even with his glasses still on.

"Angel, are you alright?" He asked.

Nothing. Just the principality looking off into the distance through the broken window.

Crowley began to worry more. "Aziraphale, please say **something**."

"...Holy water..."

Great, he **had** registered what had just happened. The demon was afraid the goo had done something to him. "Yes, that's right."

However, what Aziraphale asked next wasn't so great for the demon's ears. "Where- where did you... get it?" They both knew the answer. There was no doubt about it.

"Took it from a church." He admitted. He knew this would cause a fight, but considering they just avoided death or kidnapping, he didn't think a little spat would be such a big deal.

Oh, how **wrong** he was.

Aziraphale shot up and took quick strides in Crowley's direction, holy rage visible in his eyes. Crowley instinctively backed away from him. "Angel, careful! You're still covered in holy water, you'll discorporate me for good!"

"So you see the problem?!" Roared Aziraphale in a tone he had never heard before. Eyes so focused on the demon's glasses that **he** made them disappear with just a frightening stare.

Crowley, for once in his whole existence, was intimidated an angel. **His** angel. He backed up into the door to the shop. He felt small, he hadn't noticed his knees were buckling underneath him until he literally had to look up at the angel.

"W-What-what problem...?" He asked in a soft voice to avoid it coming out as a quiver. 

Aziraphale tried controlling his anger to avoid any residue of holy water splashing onto Crowley. "You should never have access to this."

"Well, I disagree. It's a tool, a very helpful one at that." He replied, gesturing to the mess behind them.

"Wha- you- argh! How- how? How **dare** you?!" Asked the angel, enraged once more.

Crowley now felt anger building up in his own being as well. His eyes were already serpentine but now his pupils were so thin you could barely see them. He straightened himself up, towering the angel like a snake would when sizing up a rival or prey.

"How dare I **what**? Save your life **yet again**?! You know I was right to do it! Look at that puddle of melted sulphur and brimstone, that was me ' **daring** ' to protect you!" He yelled back.

Aziraphale shook his head, the same holy rage from before returning. "Crowley that was much too dangerous! Not to mention insulting to me! How dare you hide holy water in my own home without even consulting me about it?!"

"It's insurance, angel! I've got hellfire too if you need it, or are you just going to scold me for that too?" His canines had sharpened into fangs.

Aziraphale's eyes went wide, his voice boomed and rattled the whole building with his next question, full of indignation. "You kept **hellfire** in **my** shop?!"

He had. The same trunk where Crowley had hidden the crystal ball of holy water also had orbs full of hellfire. These crystal balls looked like simple decorations but they were special. They fit perfectly in the palm of your hand, were practically weightless but incredibly durable and they were enchanted so neither the holy water or hellfire could hurt either being. Where did Crowley get these? Anathema Device-Pulsifer. Crowley had done a favor for her and when he asked for one in return, this was what he asked for. And she agreed, no questions asked, apparently she understood perfectly why the demon would want this as a backup plan. To fill each sphere with either substance, you simply needed to pour it in. Unlike a normal crystal ball, everything which was poured into it stayed inside. There was no residue on the outside of the orbs, making them perfectly safe for either demon, angel, witch or human contact. Once he had the proper 'backup gun', all he needed was to get the 'bullets'.

The hellfire was easy to come by for him. He could simply go to any lesser entrance of Hell and encase some of it in one of the balls, or he could create it himself by cursing a normal flame. The holy water was trickier. He had to steal from a church, or more accurately, bribe someone to do it for him. After all, stealing liquid which could vaporize you with a single drop is quite hard if your feet are burning beneath you and it makes you jump in response. He would lie to an impressionable altar-boy, saying he suspected his church's font of holy water may have some kind of nuclear waste but he needed someone from the inside to get it for him. Then, he'd give him the tartan thermos Aziraphale had given him in 1967. The boy would sneak in before mass, fill up the canister without anyone else noticing and would hand it over to Crowley behind the church. Because of the lie he had told the boy, the child didn't think anything abnormal about Crowley having a black apron and long rubber gloves which completely covered his arms. He took the thermos and miracle'd the child's mind as he drove off. Why erase the boy's mind? To use the same exact story for when he came back for more. He did this a total of four times, until he felt there were enough orbs full of both lethal substances in both of their homes. Not to mention, he made sure the thermos was still full and hidden in its original spot.

"Yes, I did, but you've never been in danger because of it-" He started to justify but then everything felt cold.

"Get out."

The demon raised a brow, not buying what the angel just said. " **What**?"

"Get. Out." He repeated with more emphasis. He was deadly serious. He was still incredibly angry, but now he looked very much hurt.

"Angel-"

Aziraphale turned and walked away from him, back towards the mess in the shop. "Do **not** call me that! Get out! Leave! I can't stand looking at you right now! Go!" He sounded as hurt as he looked.

Crowley took two steps forward, about to follow him but then Aziraphale turned. With a strong gesture that looked like a push, Crowley was sent flying out of the shop and the door locked itself in every sense of the word. The demon tried to reenter by the broken window but was unable to. Aziraphale had taken away his permission to be in his domain. That **hurt**. It hurt more than the actual push which had sent him crashing into the side of the Bentley. It hurt more than the stab from earlier, which he had completely forgotten about. It wasn't so deep so he stitched it up with a snap and got into the car.

Crowley didn't bother turning on the radio. He simply willed the Bentley into starting and it essentially drove itself home while all Crowley did was curse at himself in frustration. Aziraphale watched from his, now miraculously intact, window as the vehicle sped off. He finally let his tears fall before doing several gestures to clean up his home and make it feel normal again.

~~~~~

Crowley had been sitting at his desk for quite some time now, stewing in his own rage. How the angel couldn't understand his logic was anyone's guess. Even though he was in his home, he had put on his sunglasses. Made sense, considering how upset he was.

As he was about to get up to mist the plants, he heard a voice growl from behind his throne. "What a waste of time. I knew I should've handled you myself."

Hastur.

The redheaded demon pushed back his chair to hit the evil amphibian and try getting away from him but Hastur had moved out of the way too fast for it. He grabbed Crowley by the neck, repeatedly slamming him into the wall. Crowley kicked him in the stomach and that made him lose his grip. Crowley punched him twice before turning to the Mona Lisa sketch. Unfortunately Hastur wasn't all that phased and didn't even give him the chance to remove the piece of art and to get to the safe behind it.

Turns out, Hastur had brought someone else along too. He didn't recognize this one either, but he seemed just as foul as the first two which attacked the shop. Now it made sense. It wasn't an order from Hell per-say, it was Hastur wanting revenge and using lesser demons than himself to finish the job.

Now the snake was outnumbered and he had to think up of something. Sadly, before he could, the fatter of the two grabbed him by the hair and dragged him to the middle of the room. He placed him in a full-nelson and Hastur starting going at him like he was a punching bag in an MMA gym. Blow after blow, shot after shot, he just kept going, he didn't tire. It was obvious that this was revenge. Not only for killing Ligur but for how he was treated for millennia because of Crowley. While in reality, Crowley wasn't the best/worst demon out there, he was practically praised down in Hell. Hastur always wanted to be in that position and felt he deserved it more than Crowley. So why not beat the shit out of the demon who survived holy water and possibly bring him in to get tortured for all of eternity? That would certainly earn him some more respect Downstairs.

The beatdown continued for what felt like hours, and it seemed Hastur was only getting started. Crowley had enough by this point. What little will he could muster, he put it into the Mona Lisa behind them. The sketch was removed, the safe was opened and the thermos floated towards his desk, he placed it on top of it without the two fools noticing.

He stomped on the big goon's foot and he loosened his grip enough for Crowley to slip out of it. He head-butted Hastur with such force that his glasses came off and fell to the floor. The bigger demon then grabbed Crowley and flung him towards the plant room, where he crashed into the pedestal which held the sculpture of the angel and demon wrestling. Somehow, it didn't fall right on top of him. Before he fell out of consciousness, he gestured to the thermos. The cap became unscrewed, it toppled over and Crowley heard both of them scream as he blacked out.

~~~~~

Aziraphale had been calling for hours but Crowley wasn't answering either phone. Feeling worried and regretful, he made his was over to the demon's apartment building. He barged into the Mayfair flat, easy to accomplish since the front door wasn't even locked. The living room seemed to be completely fine, nothing out of place.

"Crowley?" The angel called out. He knew he was there, the Bentley was parked just across the street.

He wandered into the kitchen once again, not finding anything strange. Then he made his way into his partner's office where he fell to his knees upon seeing another puddle of melted demon flesh on the floor. The familiar tartan thermos and dark sunglasses seemingly confirmed his worst fear. "No..."

The shock of that visual kept him from noticing anything else about his surroundings because his whole world was crashing down on him. He started shaking his head in denial, whimpering and feeling his eyes starting to fill with hot tears. He reached for the thermos and took it in his hands. He held it close to his chest, gripping it so hard that the tips of his fingers were white and they were starting to hurt. Tears fell, his sadness quickly turning into anger.

This was all his fault. If he hadn't gotten him the first batch of holy water in the first place, this would've never happened. Crowley would still be here, they wouldn't have had the argument which lead to the demon leaving the shop in a fit of rage and everything would've been alright. If only he hadn't made him leave. He shouldn't have kicked him out. He should've ignored his anger, dried himself off and trapped the demon in his arms so this wouldn't happen.

The angel was glowing now, dozens and dozens of eyes opening all over his body as he crushed the thermos in his hands. He did it effortlessly, like anyone would a beer can under their boot. He grabbed Crowley's glasses and cradled them against his heart. Now his holy wrath and sorrow were on the same level. He was, quite literally, white-hot with rage as he cried and screamed and mourned.

This was enough to make the plants in the next room start to shake and fear Aziraphale. The hibiscus bush trembled so much that the pot fell inches away from Crowley's face. Had the plant been able to control the soil in which it lived, it would've kept it from reaching the demon's face. However, it was too late. The dirt was now next to the unconscious being and the smell of it started activating his senses again. He smelled the dirt firstly, then the plants in the room, then brimstone. His eyes shot open and he tried to get up but the pain sent him back down.

He looked into his office through the small opening in the revolving doors. A light, so holy, it almost hurt him to look at it directly. He recognized his presence immediately, though. "Aziraphale..." He groaned softly.

Crowley knew he had to get his attention somehow but he didn't have enough strength to pull himself up or do even the most minor miracle. The demon could barely speak, so yelling was also off the table. He was desperate. Had it not been for the strength issue, he would've flung one or two flower pots just to get the angel's attention. He sighed frustratingly against the marble pedestal behind him. At that moment he realized two things: 1. Said marble pedestal was probably the reason why his back felt so broken right now. & 2\. The statue sitting atop of it might make for a good distraction.

It took all he had, but Crowley managed to position himself to the side of the pedestal. He began to push it with his hands but they faltered beneath him. He tried using his forearms next and when that failed him as well, he leaned onto it with his right shoulder. It had moved a bit this time. Crowley took that as progress and began ramming that same shoulder into the column over and over until the momentum finally made both it and the statue come crashing down to the floor.

In the office, Aziraphale looked up from his lap and eyed the direction where the sound came from. He ordered the revolving doors to give him a clear view into the green room. Once they did, the area was bathed in his light. Crowley flinched, shielding his eyes as much as he could.

"Angel... It burns..." Was all the demon could muster.

Upon realizing Crowley was alive, Aziraphale's demeanor completely changed. He stopped glowing, his other eyes hid once more and the tears which raced down his face now were that of relief. "Darling-" It sounded like the wind had been punched out of the principality.

He ran to the demon, dropping down to the floor. He wrapped his arms around him and kissed his face over and over and over. Every kiss seemed to slowly heal a bruise.

"I'm so sorry, darling! I'm so, so sorry! Please forgive me, I'm so sorry! This was all my fault!" He cried.

Crowley glared at him in disbelief. "Your... **fault**? Angel, you didn't do this."

"But I did. I gave you the holy water back in 1967. I should've never done that. After giving away the flaming sword, **that** has been my biggest mistake. I should've never given you something so dangerous." Even though his words weren't trembling, he still was.

The demon shook his head at him, trying to reach for his face. He put his hand on Aziraphale's tear-stained cheek and the angel leaned into his touch. "If you hadn't, I would've gone on with the robbery and that might've killed me. Humans aren't as thorough as us, especially because they don't know **what we are**. Even though I specifically told them to hand me the container completely dry, they probably would've missed a spot and that would've been the end of me as soon as I touched it. Hell would've caught me and tortured me for all eternity if it wasn't for that thermos you gave me. You saved my life, angel, that's no mistake."

"As I recall, you've saved mine as well. I owe you several of those. Too many to count actually..."

"Angel, don't."

The principality sighed, not wanting to start yet another argument. He was too **emotionally** drained for it and he knew Crowley was too **physically** drained. He made a note to continue the conversation at a later time. For now, he had to focus on his partner. He continued healing him, silently, for hours until he was able to stand up on his own. From there, Aziraphale took him to his bedroom so he could continue the process while granting Crowley some comfort as well.

~~~~~

Once the redhead couldn't take the silence which flooded the room, he sat up

"Aziraphale, look at me." He begged as he tugged on his jacket. He does but only for a short moment.

Crowley tugged at him again, harder this time, effectively making him turn towards him. The angel's eyes and nose were still red but at least his face was dry now.

"I know you hate the thought of killing other beings, let alone the actual act of it, witnessing it, or being involved in it. I know you hate me doing it too, but if it means protecting you, I'll keep doing it. Angel, I lost you once-"

"But you got me back, you can thank Adam for that." Aziraphale said, grabbing Crowley's hand.

The demon tilted his head as if he approved of what just came out of the principality's mouth. "Huh, 'Thank Adam'... We could just say **that** instead of bringing up You-Know-Who into it. Actually, it's quite-"

Now Aziraphale tugged at him. "Crowley, focus."

"Right, sorry. Look: As morbid as it might sound, we're even now. I thought you were dead and that broke me, now you know what it's like. That's exactly why I don't want either of us going through that ever again. We need some sort of security measures, and until I find a better solution than holy water and hellfire, I might have to keep killing demons and angels who show up up here with bad intentions. I'll risk my life to save yours every time, you **know** that." He explained as clearly as he could.

He **did** know that. And he also knew that no matter how much they argued about it, Crowley would never compromise on that. The demon knew this was his fatal flaw, the one thing he could never change for the angel. He accepted it, and prayed Aziraphale could too.

"You should've told me. Even if it caused a fight so big it'd make the neighbors think WW3 was happening in my shop. I was more hurt by the fact that you kept it a secret from me. I've trusted you since The Beginning, Crowley. Who knows if before then too?... Please, don't make me start doubting you now."

Crowley nodded, now understanding why the angel was so hurt. The fact that this could've ended so much worse but didn't just made him want to protect him even more.

"I'll earn back your trust however I have to." Replied the demon, interlacing their fingers. They pressed their foreheads together letting relief take over.

"Well, firstly, no more stealing from churches. I'll bless the water myself until we find a better solution for these types of situations." Aziraphale kissed his hand. "But you can start by showing me where you've hidden all the holy water and hellfire."

"There's one in almost every nook and cranny I could find. It'll take a while. How much time have you got?" Figured they'd start right now so they could get back to their usual trust faster.

"I've got an eternity." Said the angel smugly, before looking slightly emotional once more. "Don't you **ever** scare me like that again, darling." He whispered.

Crowley nuzzled into Aziraphale's neck, lovingly. "Never again, angel... 'Darling'? Really? That's new."

"You don't like it?" Asked the principality.

Crowley shook his head. "I didn't say that. I just need to get used to it, that's all."

They both chuckled, recalling a similar conversation to this one. Some days later, Crowley went back to Anathema, this time asking for anything which could help them keep beings with bad intentions away from their homes, like the horseshoe in her cottage. (The same horseshoe which kept him from entering the home upon their first visit.) With that, she enchanted two other horseshoes which were later imbedded **into** their respective front doors. Now no one who wanted to hurt them could enter their homes at all.


	7. 6: A Mini Holiday

Crowley and Aziraphale needed a break. Not from each other, but their surroundings. The main reason was to get out of the shop and the flat after the whole 'cleansing situation' from the previous month. They needed to do something different to entertain themselves. The subject came up over dinner one night, the one time they weren't in a restaurant. Crowley had insisted Aziraphale come over so he could cook for him. Really though, it was so the angel would grace the flat with his presence. It always felt homier when he was there.

"How's your duck, angel?" Asked the demon from across the table.

Aziraphale beamed at him. "Delicious. You truly **are** improving, my dear. Or just getting better at hiding the taste of your little miracles when it comes to food." He said knowingly. Nine times out of ten, Crowley would simply snap his fingers to complete any mundane task or solve some kind of problem.

"You may never know. Unless you watch me while I do it."

"And how might I do that? By the time I show up, you're already taking the meal out of the oven." Aziraphale said, gently dabbing his mouth with a napkin.

Crowley shrugged, taking a sip of wine. "Perfect timing. I'm not surprised you turn up right when the food's ready to be served. You practically worship it. Why bother waiting around to eat when you can just show up and eat immediately?"

"I should show up earlier next time. Maybe I could help you. Might be fun." Replied the angel.

Crowley grinned playfully from behind his wineglass. "More fun than your magic act, I guarantee it."

"Hush, you cheeky snake." Said the blond, moving his own glass forward so Crowley could pour him some more.

A silence fell over as they finished the meal and drank. It was a nice silence, comfortable, but it did get boring after a while. So Crowley decided to just throw out the suggestion of taking a little vacation, getting out of London, even if was just for one day.

"Been a while since we've been to Scotland. What do you think? Up for it?" He asked, tapping his fingernails rhythmically atop the table.

The angel stopped drinking to think it over. He looked like he was making a mental list of some kind because he'd tilt, nod or shake his head at whatever it is he was thinking. Finally, he gave him a soft smile. "That sounds lovely, darling."

The rest of their night was pleasant. They didn't really talk or plan anything in relation to the trip, leaving it for the day they left. Not anything new, they tended to do things as they went along these days. Winging it seemed to come natural to them.

~~~~~

Crowley carried the angel's bags into the backseat of his car like a complete gentleman. He would've liked to miracle it into the vehicle but there were too many people around and this wasn't something to stop time for. They made sure they weren't missing anything, Aziraphale locked up the shop and entered the Bentley.

"So, what do you want to do? Sight seeing? Food tasting? Shopping for irrelevant knickknacks?" Asked Crowley as they sped through the countryside.

The angel shrugged. "I wouldn't be opposed to any of those options. We can do all three if you like."

"Great. Are we getting a hotel room? Renting a house by the water? Sleeping in the Bentley?" Was his next question. He had turned his face and was looking right at the principality.

Aziraphale, nervous as ever when it came to Crowley's driving, gently moved his face so it was staring at the road again. "Considering you tempted me to sleep with you, I now need a bed to rest in. The Bentley isn't an option."

"So you've been using me all this time just for my bed? Oh, I feel so used!" He replied, dramatically putting his left hand to his forehead, letting go of the wheel and flopping into the angel's lap.

Aziraphale quickly shoved him away. "Stop messing around and drive!"

Crowley chuckled, straightening himself and grabbing the wheel once more. The Bentley had not veered an inch out of their lane while the demon was having fun. By now she could sense when her master was messing about and would stay exactly where she needed to be to avoid accidents and protect the two beings in the car.

Aziraphale was scrolling through Crowley's phone.

"Would you like to go to Loch Ness?" He asked after seeing a picture of the famous body of water.

"If we go, you can't complain when I get in the water and pretend to be the monster." Warned the demon.

Aziraphale rolled his eyes. "Please. How can anyone mistake a figure like **yours** for a beast that's supposed to live underwater?"

"I'm taking that as a compliment even if you didn't intend it to be one."

"Take it however you like, my darling. You don't need me to point out you've got a lovely body." Said the blond with a smile.

"Oh angel, you flatter me so." He said swooning exaggeratedly, once again giving the angel a mini heart attack. This time Aziraphale playfully hit Crowley on the shoulder repeatedly until he was driving properly again. At least this time, they were both laughing about it.

Just then, his phone went off with a loud chime. Aziraphale read it. "It's an email alert. Want me to read it to you?"

"Sure."

Aziraphale had already started reading before he had gotten an answer and he was obviously confused. "Huh..."

"What?" Crowley didn't like the sound of that 'Huh'.

Aziraphale cleared his throat before reading it out loud. "It says 'The Dowling family WILL be spending the weekend in Edinburgh for the music festival. At least, that's the report from my source but I have it on good authority that Thaddeus Dowling has a secret meeting to attend to and the music festival is an excuse so it's not strange for him to be seen in the country. And of course, when you go on a fake family vacation, you take your family with you to keep up appearances. That's all I have, stay subscribed for more, my Nosy Nellys!'..."

He turned to the demon, who hadn't looked at him the whole time he read out the email. He locked the phone and placed it down. "Crowley, was this trip just to check up on Warlock?"

Crowley sighed, shaking his head. "No, not at first... That girl runs a gossip blog about politicians, I used to use her and her website **a lot** for temptations before we retired. Forgot to unsubscribe and then I saw an email related to this one yesterday. It made me miss him a bit more. So I figured, since we'd be in the area..." It was seemingly something he didn't like admitting.

"Darling, we don't need to watch over him anymore. He's a normal human. He'll be fine." Aziraphale pouted sweetly at the redhead.

"Come on angel, you know I get attached much faster than I should. It only took a few minutes for me to get attached to you! Imagine what 11 years with that child did to me."

Aziraphale nodded softly. "Yes, you **were** rather fond of him."

Crowley scoffed. "As if you **weren't**. You loved talking to him, even when it had **nothing** to do with steering him towards good. You'd spoil him with fruit from the garden on a daily basis too, don't think I didn't notice."

A smile tugged at the angel's lips. "He **was** a sweet boy. Although, as soon as he turned 10 years old, he became a bit of a brat towards everyone."

"That'd be my demonic work. Took longer to go into effect but it still worked." Admitted Crowley, this time proudly.

"Good thing he was the wrong boy."

The old snake agreed with a sigh. "Thank Adam. Literally."

"Indeed... Well, I suppose just passing by the event would be alright. After all, he doesn't remember us anyway. It should be harmless enough." Said Aziraphale giving in and going along with the fallen angel's plan yet again. He had lost count of how many times that had happened over the millennia.

Crowley smiled as a way of thanks. "Then it's settled. We'll go there, then to the art gallery, then Skara Brae. The sunsets there are wonderful, remember?"

"Yes, they really are." He responded fondly, looking at the scenery which they zoomed past. Eventually, they made it to their hotel and they decided to turn in early to get as much rest as possible for tomorrow. Or in Crowley's case, he was rested enough but simply wanted to be in his angel's arms for a few hours and sleeping was a perfect excuse to do just that.

~~~~~

The festival had been lovely so far, much more varied than either of them had imagined. Without even thinking at one point, they found themselves swaying together to a couple singing on the main stage. It was pleasant. Until they finally saw the Dowling family arrive in the distance.

They followed from afar, unnoticed by every one of their private security guards. However, they were later spotted by Warlock himself. By now, they were both sure he was alright, being very loved and cared for, even if he was a bit spoiled and disrespectful. He was fine, just like Aziraphale had said. So, they continued enjoying the festival for a few more hours, focusing on themselves.

At one point, the angel and demon were sitting on a bench under the shade of a large tree, away from most of the festivities and noise. Aziraphale was eating some Cranachan while Crowley rested his eyes as the wind blew. That's when Warlock snuck up behind them.

"You have your mom's taste in men." He said suddenly.

Aziraphale nearly chocked on his dessert and Crowley straightened himself out quickly, turning to see the smug child.

"Pardon?" Crowley asked after clearing his throat.

Young Warlock grinned. "You have your mom's taste in men: blond, shorter and nicer than you." He specified that time.

Crowley stared at him for a moment. He felt several emotions, but amusement was strongest and soon laughter left his mouth.

_He thinks I'm his nanny's son._ Realized the demon. _Of course he does_. He decided to go along with it instead of telling him the truth and risk ruining his normal life.

"Warlock Dowling, I presume." He said with a smile.

The boy nodded. "Nanny Ashtoreth never talked about a family but I assumed she had one. She'd go on and on about 'love making you weak' but she really did love Brother Francis, didn't she?" He asked curiously.

The redhead gave a nod of his own. "Yes, she did. With all her heart." Said the demon, gently placing his hand over Aziraphale's. The angel tried not to grin too obviously at the gesture.

Meanwhile, Warlock hadn't even noticed it. "I **knew** they were married!" Said the child, mostly to himself but still loud enough for the two supernatural entities heard.

"Actually, they weren't married when they worked for your family. They eloped shortly after retiring." The demon said casually, earning very particular look from the angel.

The boy smiled. "That explains why they both left the same day... So, she's happy now, right?"

Crowley now had a choice to make. It wasn't one which would effect the child, but himself. He knew he had to let go. It was like Aziraphale had said, he was a normal human. Even if he understood like The Them and didn't react badly, he'd be another mortal he'd eventually lose. He smiled sadly, knowing he had made his choice.

"...I'm afraid she passed away last summer. Francis went back to the church soon after that, going on missions all over the world, helping people. Unfortunately, he got sick during one of those trips and never recovered... I like to think they've reunited somewhere up in the stars."

By now, Aziraphale was properly holding his hand, concern painted on his face. He knew what he was doing and he knew how much it hurt the demon to do so.

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss." Said the boy in a genuine tone. Some sadness could be heard in there as well.

Crowley shrugged with a sigh. "It's alright, it's part of life... She loved you dearly, you know."

"Yeah?" He seemed to perk up a bit after hearing that.

The demon continued. "Yeah. Talked about you all the time. She was very proud of you too."

"That didn't make you jealous, did it?" Guilt. Not something he knew Warlock was capable of.

"Nah, I was glad. I couldn't give her grandchildren for obvious reasons." He said gesturing to Aziraphale, which earned him an annoyed look and a soft elbow to the ribs. "And taking care of you gave her the chance to scold someone's parenting skills, which weren't my own so, it was a win-win situation. You had a good nanny, I had a happy mother."

The angel was surprised by the story Crowley was pulling out of thin air as the seconds went by. He continued listening to them speak, never interrupting, until the child's phone began to buzz in an urgent manner. The young boy frowned, looking down at his phone.

"I've got to go. They're looking for me. It was nice meeting you." He said before biding them a farewell.

"Pleasure was ours. Run along before you get into trouble." Crowley told him as he walked away from them.

Warlock turned but kept walking backwards, smiling nostalgically all the while. "Nanny always said I could never get **into** trouble, that I'd cause it for **other people** to get into."

"I bet she also told you to watch where you're going!" Crowley shouted, pointing behind him. Had it not been for that, the child would've fallen into a nearby lake.

The two of them watched him return to the festival and made sure he left with his parents safely, before leaving themselves.

~~~~~

Since the art gallery had closed earlier than expected, they made their way over to Skara Brae. The ride was mostly silent, until Aziraphale pipped up.

"I know how hard that was for you. Are you alright?"

"I will be." He replied, not taking his eyes off the road ahead.

"We could've just gone back to the hotel, leave the sight seeing for tomorrow. I wouldn't have minded."

Crowley shook his head. "I promised you a sunset at Skara Brae. We can make it... You indulged me all day with Warlock, now it's my turn to indulge you in whatever you want."

"Usually I would agree to that logic, but today, you let go of something big. I just want to be sure you're okay, darling." Said the principality, reaching over and placing a hand on Crowley's knee.

Crowley's hand dropped down and clasped Aziraphale's. "It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It had to be done."

"Yes, but did you really feel the need to kill off your babysitter character? Seems a bit extreme, don't you think?"

The demon grinned with a short chuckle. "No. If she's dead, I can't use that as an excuse. She was my connection to Warlock. The personal connection, not the work-related one. If she's gone, it's easier for me to move on."

The redhead didn't want to watch Warlock grow up, grow old, then die. That'd hurt too much. At least in being godparents to Adam, they knew he'd never die. He was like them. Getting attached couldn't hurt him this time.

"Fair enough. But why did you have to kill off **my** character as well?" Asked the angel, trying to lighten the mood.

Crowley finally looked at him, that small grin still gracing his lips. "They were like us, angel. One couldn't live without the other..."

This made the car fall silent again, both remembering how awful it had felt to lose each other. Or at least think it.

So, Crowley tried being his usual smart-ass self. "Plus, I might've tried swapping bodies again and putting on your Brother Francis costume just to visit. My options need to be as dead as those characters."

Aziraphale laughed first, gripping his hand tighter. "You wouldn't dare."

It was true, he wouldn't. Once the laughter died down, he asked about something else which had caught his attention during the conversation with Warlock.

"They eloped after retiring? Really? Doesn't that seem like something a young couple would do?" Asked the angel as they pulled over.

Crowley climbed out of the vehicle. "We haven't looked young since before the crucifixion, angel." He said as he helped him out.

"I know I'm immortal but **don't** call me old." Said the blond sternly while basking in the rays from the setting sun.

Crowley wrapped his arm around Aziraphale's waist. "Oh, please! You call me 'old serpent' all the time!"

"As a term of endearment!" Argued the angel, staring off at the horizon.

The demon placed his head on Aziraphale's shoulder, looking off in the same direction. "Who said my thing was an insult? It was just a statement." 

Silence fell as they watched the sun go down. The diversity of the colors was simply breathtaking. They watched the colors dance among the clouds as the skies grew darker and darker, until the stars came out. It was peaceful, familiar, comfortable. All the things the demon needed after today.

Then Aziraphale spoke once more. "Would you ever consider it? Marriage, that is."

Crowley stared at him but Aziraphale kept his gaze to the constellations above them. "If It's with you, I'd consider **anything**. Don't you know that by now, angel?"

The principality smiled, nodding softly. "Yes, I suppose I should, shouldn't I?" They stayed there for hours, admiring both the scenery and themselves.


	8. 7: A Few Secrets Revealed

It was a quiet day in the bookshop, more than usual. Today, that was Crowley's doing because he had flipped the sign back to 'closed' when Aziraphale went to make tea. He knew he wouldn't mind, after all. If anyone needed to know why the shop had only opened for 15 minutes that morning, they'd simply state that Mr. Fell's snake required his urgent attention. Technically, it wasn't a lie. Maybe the 'urgent' part was, but certainly not the 'snake' part.

Today, Crowley felt needier than usual. It was because of this that he turned serpent and wrapped himself around Aziraphale's shoulders, burying his face against the angel's neck. He figured this way, the principality could get work done and the demon wouldn't be in his way.

As Aziraphale organized some books, he noticed just how many mentioned angels and demons, not including the Bible. Then he started thinking about something he had never truly noticed or thought about.

"Crowley?"

"Hmm?" Hummed the snake, now looking up at him.

He sat down on the old couch, resting his back. "It- it just occurred to me, you don't know what I look like. My true form, that is. Meanwhile I've seen yours more times than I can even remember."

"I don't think I can handle it. You nearly fried me the day you thought I was dead." He told him, snuggling up to his ear. The tongue flicking around his lobe always made the chubby being jump, he was such a ticklish little angel.

He regained himself, then moved Crowley's coils so he could face him. "Yes, but that was only because I was distressed. My true form doesn't emit light like that one when I'm alright. Or any, for that matter. Unless I'm stressed. It's like you with your eyes when you're in human form." He told him, looking at those small yellow eyes he knew and loved so much.

He flicked his tiny forked tongue at the blond's nose this time. "Then show me." Crowley said as he slithered down the angel's body, onto the couch. He morphed back into his human form and turned to Aziraphale.

The angel closed his eyes and began to move his neck and shoulders. His wings unfurled, pristine and white as always. Crowley instinctively wanted to run his hands through them but, ultimately, he opted against it. The angel probably needed to concentrate to switch forms and that would only throw him off. Now Aziraphale was flexing his hands, slowly inhaling and exhaling.

Proto-feathers started sprouting from Aziraphale's skin, just as white as his wings, giving him a more warm and fuzzy looking appearance. Some of the smaller feathers turned gold and silver and even with all the feathers, his facial features could still be appreciated. This continued along his whole body until Crowley noticed a pattern. Eyes. Every golden circle with a silver dot in the middle was an eye. The snake assumed his entire body was like this but he couldn't be sure, since his mortal clothes had also morphed into a very familiar angelic robe.

Aziraphale then opened his eyes. His 'normal' ones. Instead of the soft blue, green and, sometimes hazel swirl Crowley had swooned over for millennia, these irises were gold with silver pupils.

Crowley's mouth went agape. It was like he couldn't believe what he was witnessing right in front of him. He seemed to be afraid of touching him, so the angel reassured him. "It's alright, darling. This form won't hurt you." Said the principality softly as he held out his hand.

Crowley seemed to hesitate, but he grabbed his hand with both of his. More accurately, both his hands were cupped and were barely holding the angel's. The demon observed Aziraphale's hand, studied it really. His gaze then shifted from the hand to the face of his partner, doing the exact same thing: studying it.

"Say something, my dear. You have me worried."

For a good while, Crowley's mouth moved but nothing came out. It was like he had forgotten how to speak. "...You're so **divine**..." He finally managed to get out.

Aziraphale tilted his head at this. You see, Crowley meant that in both the literal sense and in an affectionate sense. He thought the angel's true form was beautiful, without question. He also thought he was the holiest thing he had ever seen after his Fall from Grace. That's why he was afraid of touching him. He wasn't afraid of getting hurt, he was afraid of tainting such a beautiful creature. He didn't feel worthy.

"Are you alright, Crowley?"

"Yessss-." He stopped himself when he couldn't control the hiss. He cleared his throat, shaking his head. "It's just... How do I have you? A fiend such as myself being graced with your true form's presence-"

"Hush now. I don't want you thinking that way. That's not why I showed you." Aziraphale said, grabbing Crowley's face with his feathered hands.

Crowley tried resisting the urge to melt into him, but failed miserably. "Sssso, why did you?"

"My true form, while not a malicious one, was a secret. One I kept from you the whole time we've known each other. If we are to spend eternity together, in love, like this, there should be no secrets between us." Aziraphale explained. His hands dropped down to Crowley's shoulders, with the hope that the demon could regain some of his composure.

"...I'm glad you finally sssshowed me." Crowley's pupils were expanding again.

This was the first time Aziraphale had seen them do this. It surprised him. "Are you alright? Your eyes look different!"

"S'alright. That happens now..." The demon said with a shrug.

Aziraphale let go of him and Crowley missed him immediately. "Since when do your eyes behave like those of a cat?"

"Confessing your love to an angel does that. Or at least, it did in my case. And I understand the comparison, but really? A cat? Don't offend me. I'm the Serpent of Eden for Adam's sake!" He sounded like himself again so they both assumed Crowley's human form simply couldn't handle Aziraphale's true form. The love and divinity were too intoxicating for him to control himself.

The angel grinned at his little outburst. "Yes, such a wily old thing, too. What with all the miracles you preformed and all the cuddling you do recently." He expected the redhead to snap angrily at him but he didn't.

"Speaking of that last bit, do you think I could...?" He gestured at Aziraphale in a general manner, then to himself.

The angel nodded, understanding what he meant. Crowley then turned into his true form, size and all, wrapping himself around Aziraphale. He should've known this would happen, after all, he was much warmer like this than as a human. Crowley craved heat, **of course** he wanted to use the angel as a heating-pad! The demon nuzzled his way into the crook of Aziraphale's neck while Aziraphale hugged and planted kisses all over his coils.

They stayed like that for hours. It was quite pleasant sure, but at the same time, incredibly counterproductive for the angel. Crowley knew he should probably let go, but he really didn't want to. He kept looking at Aziraphale, still studying him but nowhere near as intimidated as before. Finally, he spoke up.

"Peacock, that's it!" Exclaimed the snake out of nowhere.

The angel raised a brow. "What are you on about now?"

"That's what you look like. Except you don't just have the feather-eyes on your backside, they're everywhere else." Explained Crowley.

Aziraphale nodded with a bit of a shrug before correcting him. "Actually, I have several there too. There's 1,000 of them on my body, She had to cover every inch of me if She wanted that number to be accurate."

The demon rolled his eyes, maybe for the first time as a snake. "Not what I meant, angel. You don't have a tail."

"Ahh, right you are. Anyhow, you were saying? Peacock and all that?" Asked the angel, he clearly wanted to understand his logic.

"I'm a snake, you're a peacock. A lovely, white and gold peacock. I never expected this. I thought you'd look like your human self but with a bunch of human eyes all over the place."

Aziraphale nodded. "Well, surprisingly, that seems to be an 'in-between' phase. I wasn't aware of this until I felt them popping out. But since I was so upset, my angelic appearance was the last thing on my mind."

"Oh?" Crowley would've cocked an eyebrow if he weren't a serpent right now.

The angel caressed the reptile as he recalled the event. "Yes. I was mourning you and suddenly I couldn't control my emotions or my eyes. Like with my accidental discorporation, I hadn't prepared for it. The eyes came through the skin itself, not meshing into energy and feathers like they are now. They were like human eyes. It felt quite vulnerable, actually. Like you could just poke me anywhere and I'd be down a few globular organs. When I'm like this, you can't hurt them. If you want to poke my eyes, it should be these two up here." He concluded, pointing at the two which used to be blue.

"So, you can really see through them?" Asked the snake, genuinely dying to know.

"Yes."

He looked at him, tilting his head. " **All** of them?"

"Yes. It's a bit like one of those 360 degree cameras you showed me not too long ago." Explained the principality.

"Huh. That's interesting. So I can't sneak up on you when you're like this?"

Aziraphale shook his head. "I'm afraid not."

"Oh, but I like making you jump." He whined. The angel found this amusing.

Eventually, he managed to slip out of the snake's grasp to morph back into his human body. Crowley followed suit, regaining his lanky figure and finally letting Aziraphale get back to work.

~~~~~

That night, as the angel slept peacefully, the demon couldn't even shut his eyes. He'd look at him, feeling dozens of emotions, but guilt most of all.

_He needs to know the truth. He **deserves** to. How am I being fair if I keep this from him after he's just shown me what he is? What he **truly** is, deep down._ He thought to himself as he turned to the ceiling.

Crowley sighed frustrated, covering his face with his hands. He knew it had to be said, but if he actually could was another matter entirely. He tossed and turned, searching for a distraction. He gave up and got out of bed after two hours of not finding said distraction.

He went to mist the plants, which they found odd, especially at this hour of the night. He sprayed all the greenery on the right side of the room. He noticed one stubborn fern had a leaf-spot. Luckily for the small plant and its siblings, Crowley didn't want to wake the angel with his screaming so he refrained from doing so. Though, he did yank off the damaged leaf with force and set it on fire just by staring at it. The plants shook and the redhead moved on.

He then focused on the sculpture of the wrestling angel and demon. One of the demon's wings was missing the tip. He could've sworn he had miracle'd back to its original form and with no broken pieces or imperfections. But then he remembered that he had only **thought** about doing it, that it was Aziraphale who finished cleaning up the mess while he regained his strength once more. 

"He might've left it that way on purpose. No matter how much we snog, that won't change that he's a choir boy at heart." He mumbled before fixing the statue, properly this time, and resuming the plant misting. "This is him saying 'you're the exception, but my former side is still better than yours'. Which I suppose is **technically** true."

He thought he was just talking to himself until he heard the angel behind him. Had it not been because they were surrounded by his plants, he would've jumped.

"Only technically. That's more because of The Almighty and less because of the archangels, as you're well aware of... What's the matter, darling?" He asked after the direct response to Crowley's ramblings.

The demon put down the small spray bottle and made his way over to the entrance of the indoor garden. "Did I wake you?"

Aziraphale shook his head softly, reaching up to put a gentle hand on Crowley's right cheek, fingers lightly resting on his snake mark. "Unintentionally, yes. I couldn't feel you anymore and I got worried. What's wrong?"

"Not in front of the plants, angel. How are they gonna fear me if they see you being all soft and sweet with me and I return the favor?" He whispered as he guided the principality out of the plant room. He shut the revolving doors completely and they now stood in his office.

He sat on top of his desk, Aziraphale taking the throne. He sighed deeply, eyes shut. When he finally opened them, he saw the angel's sweet gaze, looking up at him expectantly.

"I need to show you something too. It's important." He finally said.

Aziraphale nodded, not breaking eye contact for a second. "Then, by all means, show me."

"It's not here. It's not even on this planet. Or solar system... You'd have to trust me to get there." Explained Crowley.

"Alpha Centuri? I thought that was just a place to escape to."

The demon shook his head. "What I've got in mind is a bit further away than Alpha Centuri. It would take us about a week to get there." For his speed, that was incredibly slow, but considering how long it usually took a human shuttle to get from Earth to any other planet within their solar system, a week wasn't bad at all.

"And you can't just tell me what it is here? You'll have me in suspense for a whole week?" Asked the principality, grabbing his hand.

"It's easier to explain if I show you." He said.

The angel stood, for once he was taller than Crowley. He pressed his forehead against the wily old fiend's. "Well then. It seems like we'll be running off to the stars after all."

"Luckily, it's not forever." Crowley assures him with a quick peck on the lips.

Aziraphale wrapped his arms around the demon's hips. "When do we leave?" He asked, their mouths crashing into each other once more.

Crowley stopped the kiss, burying his face in the curve of Aziraphale's neck. "Tomorrow morning. First we'll make sure Adam knows we'll be out of town for a few days so he doesn't worry if he pops by and doesn't find either of us."

The only reason Crowley didn't insist on leaving now was because he wanted at least one more guaranteed night of sharing his bed with the angel. If this went pear-shaped, he at least needed that.

"Very well. Let's get some rest, dear." Said Aziraphale, lifting the demon off the desk. Crowley quickly draped his arms around the angel's neck and wrapped his legs around his waist. He only let go once he was set down on the mattress. They climbed under the covers and Crowley used him like a pillow for the rest of the night.

~~~~~

They left the flat at dawn. Aziraphale assumed they would make it to a secluded cliff somewhere, have the Bentley take itself back to Mayfair and then fly off. The principality did not expect Crowley to literally drive off a cliff and for the Bentley to start flying. As if the demon's driving wasn't nerve-wrecking enough.

"Since when can you make the car do **this**?!" Asked the angel with a yell, trying to tighten his seatbelt.

"Um... Not sure exactly what year it was, but I first did it in the late 50's." He said calmly.

Aziraphale was gripping the seat, his nails practically stabbing the fabric. "Why would you do this?!"

Crowley shrugged. "Because I felt like going into space but didn't want to tire myself out by flying on my own. This way, I have somewhere to lie down after I'm exhausted." He explained. After all, he was still exerting the same amount of energy he would when flying on his own, but when concentrating on the Bentley rather than his own wings, he'd go much faster. Yet another reason why it would only take them a week to reach the next galaxy.

"Exactly how many times have you gone into space?!" He asked next, looking out the window. He could see the shape of the planet now as they climbed higher and higher.

"At least once every century." Admitted the demon.

Some of the angel's fright melted away just a bit as he turned to him. "Really?"

The taller being nodded. "Yes."

"Why?" Aziraphale titled his head as he asked.

"It's relaxing. Sometimes I just needed to get away. From humans. Or Head Office. Sometimes it was just for fun." He explained.

A pang of worry hit the angel. "...Did you ever do it to get away from me..?"

Crowley gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles turned white in the process. "Once..."

"When?" He was now completely facing him, no more sideways glances.

Crowley said nothing.

He inched closer, not willing to accept this silence. "Did you come up here after I refused to give you holy water the first time around?"

"...Yes."

Aziraphale scoffed to hide how bad he felt about it. Well, he **tried** to hide it, but failed miserably. "I always thought that argument was what sent you into that long slumber but I never wanted to admit it to myself..."

"It hurt..." He started. That was obvious from the beginning. How else could someone literally sleep for almost a full century? "I was already planning to come here around that time but after **that**? It practically pushed me over the cliff... I thought **for sure** you saw me as a friend by then... Once I came back, I didn't want to leave the bed. Had it not been for the trip, I probably would've only slept for a decade or two."

Pure sadness could be seen on Aziraphale's face. "I'm so sorry, darling. I never meant to hurt you. Quite the opposite. I wanted you to be as safe as possible and the thought of you with that substance..." Being the reason for Crowley's moment of (apparent) depression, or thinking he was the reason for it, broke his heart.

"...Well, you remember how our last conversation about the subject went..." Concluded the principality.

Crowley gave a nod, grabbing the angel's hand and kissing it. "I do." With that, the subject was dropped and they fell silent for about an hour or so.

~~~~~

The week it took them to get there had been mostly enjoyable for Aziraphale. It was quite the learning experience. He had never known much about stars, planets, or space in general. It was never his cup of tea. But he knew it was Crowley's, it always had been. Ever since The Beginning, he'd catch the demon glancing up at the night skies with admiration. It was thanks to those damn glasses a few centuries later that he hadn't noticed Crowley giving him those same longing stares.

They finally made it to the nebula. It was even more beautiful than what the demon had described. So many blues, greens, purple and even some hints of gold. They swirled like paintbrush strokes Vincent van Goh would be envious of. The stars shimmered weirdly, which only added to the strangeness in the aesthetic. The angel smiled as he watched stardust and other particles passed by the Bentley, like waves.

He looked excited. "This is the place?"

"Yup." Crowley replied, popping the 'p' at the end.

"It's far grander than you described. Nicer than Alpha Centuri even, and you hyped that one up very much after the apocalypse scare."

"I did, didn't I? Probably should've been doing that with this one... Welcome to 'Et misit serpens nidis', angel." He said as the car stopped.

Aziraphale's ear perked up upon hearing Latin. It had been a good while since he had heard it. 'The serpent's nest', he'd make a note of that for later.

Crowley looked towards the brightest parts of the surrounding area, took a deep breath, and stepped out of the vehicle. He quickly floated over to stop Aziraphale from opening his door. "Now, don't freak out, what's about to happen is normal."

"What? What are you talking about?" The angel's excitement ceased immediately and he grew worried.

Crowley snapped his fingers, making sure the car had locked. "Just stay in there until I say so."

The demon floated a few feet away from the car before unfolding his wings. There was an instant reaction to this. Dozens and dozens of particles and stardust started forming little orbs, these orbs started latching on to Crowley's body. They seemed to be attacking him at first, which not only confused Aziraphale, but made the uneasiness grow in him.

"Crowley!" He exclaimed, punching the window. The Bentley's engine roared in protest, much like when Crowley would hiss in displeasure at something. He should've known that 90 years together was more than enough time for her to start picking up on similar mannerisms. "Sorry!" He whispered to the car before turning back to find Crowley hunched over.

He wasn't in pain, though. In fact, he was laughing. The orbs weren't attacking him maliciously, it was in a loving manner. Aziraphale, now putting his worry aside, could feel the whole nebula beaming with love. He was speaking to them, they seemed to light up in response, though he couldn't hear any of it from behind the glass.

Once the orbs gave him enough space to move again, Crowley floated back towards the Bentley. He opened the door, helping Aziraphale step out.

"Open your wings." He whispered to the angel as he gripped his hand, and the angel did just as told.

Immediately, the orbs shone brighter, as if they were delighted to have another angel there. Aziraphale noticed one of them beamed in a slightly different color than the rest.

"Yes, this is really him." Crowley said. Before Aziraphale could begin to ask questions, the orb beamed again.

The demon shook his head. "I wasn't lying when I said that."

A second orb chimed in, Aziraphale wondered when it'd be his turn to ask something.

A small nod from Crowley. "I do." His voice was soft. "Truly."

This orb almost raced towards the demon, rapidly changing from one color to another. Maybe it was excited? Concerned? Whichever it was, it was definitely curious because it hovered over Aziraphale as if eyeing him up and down.

Crowley sighed deeply, taking the shades off his face, folding them neatly before placing them inside his jacket's pocket. "No... I need to show him. I need your help to do that... You remember what I looked like, right?" He asked, voice still soft. He let go of the angel and was engulfed by the orbs only a few moments later.

Everything around him began to shine, so much so that his skin began to look whiter than usual. They made him look like he was glowing, like Aziraphale when his holiness takes over. Under the brightness, Aziraphale could see Crowley's facial features changing. His jawline wasn't as sharp, his cheekbones less pronounced, his nose became more round, normal human eyes which looked lavender with hints of gold, Aziraphale even noticed all the freckles which were speckled all over him. His hair was the same shade of red as always, but now it was much longer than it had been in centuries, reaching all the way down to his hips. He looked beautiful. Granted, Crowley had always been beautiful, but there was something different about this. And sure, they were all aware that this was an illusion of sorts and no transformation was **actually** taking place, but it was mesmerizing nonetheless.

Slowly, more and more orbs parted from him, revealing his clothing. A one-sleeved white angelic robe. Some of those same orbs went to his hand and created a staff with a snake wrapped around the top. Aziraphale's mouth hung open.

"Do you know who I am now?" Crowley asked, looking at his angel with a terrified expression.

The angel nodded slowly, afraid of how Crowley would react. "Archangel Raphael..."

"You needed to know..." Even his voice was slightly different.

Aziraphale sighed, reaching out to touch Crowley's hand once more. "...I always figured you were a star-maker, you love them so. I just never thought that **you'd** be **in charge** of the star-makers. That **you'd** be Gabriel's older brother. That **you'd** be the missing Archangel... Although, you still having an imagination and being able to stop and start time truly should've raised some red flags." He gripped the demon's hand and the orbs, which were there, flew off.

"Why did you never tell me?" Aziraphale asked, giving him the warmest smile he could. With his tone, it sounded more like a rhetorical question but that didn't stop the demon from giving him an explanation.

"I **couldn't**. I'd try everything: written, sign -language, pointing at a bloody painting of myself in a museum, nothing worked! Every time I tried with that intent, The Almighty would do something to stop it."

Aziraphale tilted his head. "How do you know it was The Almighty?"

Crowley scoffed, rolling those purple eyes which looked like mini galaxies in their own right. "Well, besides the having the sensation of hot coals on my tongue whenever I tried saying it, something miraculous would happen to stop me from telling you. One time I thought I'd just do it through a text message and it kept telling me it 'failed to deliver'. At first I assumed it was because of that crappy little flip-phone I got you, but then I sent something completely unrelated and you replied with no issue!" He ranted, almost sounding like the Crowley Aziraphale knew.

He looked at the angel, now somber. "It's part of the curse you have when you're damned. People don't remember you from before, now you're different. You remember everything but you can't say anything, even if you wanted..."

"But as always, you found a loophole." Aziraphale said, reaching for his other hand and shooing away the orbs from there too. "How are they able to do this? I didn't realize stars had abilities like this."

Crowley shrugged. "I still don't know. They just did something one day, after I created them. Not sure if it was my doing and that's why they can create illusions like this, or if them being able to do this is the reason I still have my imagination intact..." 

"Well. Whichever of those is the true reason, I know love has to do with it too. It's literally flooding over with it here, both theirs and yours. It's quite lovely." Said the angel, pulling in the demon for a hug. The rest of the orbs separated from Crowley and he looked like his normal self once more.

He hugged his angel tightly, pressing his forehead against the principality's. When he opened his eyes, Aziraphale smiled. "There you are..." Said the angel, with so much love in his voice. "This doesn't change a thing, you know. Archangel or not, you're the same Crowley I've loved for millennia. Nothing matters before The Fall, only now and eternity, **that's** what matters... You know we're meant to be."

Crowley felt an immense relief, like a huge weight being lifted off his shoulders and now he felt as light as a feather from his wings. He nuzzled into Aziraphale's clavicle, his arms even tighter around the angel's waist. A few sobs were heard coming from the demon but no other being there was worried. They could feel they were tears of joy and they simply waited for Crowley to regain his composure. It took longer than expected, not surprising considering this was building up for 6,000 years. Finally, there were no secrets between the angel and the demon. Finally, they were free. Finally, they **felt** free.

Aziraphale wrapped his wings around Crowley, kissing the top of his head. The orbs surrounded them both, beaming softly with love. For the first time after Falling, Crowley didn't feel unlucky, mistreated or inherently upset. He was happy. Truly happy, with no doubts or paranoid thoughts in the back of his mind. He was at peace.

When he finally looked up at Aziraphale his snake eyes looked more like a cat's, expanding instantly. " 'Meant to be'... You have no idea how much I've wanted you to say that. To realize it... I love you so much, angel."

"And I you, you magnificent snake." The angel said, kissing Crowley sweetly. The demon responded eagerly, almost hungrily. This caught Aziraphale off-guard, though, he had no issue with it.

That is, until he remembered where they were. He pulled away, flushed and giggling. "Not now, darling. For lack of a better word, these are your children, and I rather not do anything like that in front of them." He whispered to him.

Crowley snorted at this before giving him a nod. With that, he quickly stole another kiss from the angel and grabbed his sunglasses from the inside of his jacket's pocket.

"Why don't you show me around the nest, darling?" Asked Aziraphale, clearing his throat and letting Crowley come out of the wing cocoon he had made for him.

"I will, but I need to do something first."

Crowley clapped twice, smirking. Seconds later, dozens of tiny orbs engulfed Aziraphale and started tickling him mercilessly.

"Welcome to the family, angel." He said happily as Aziraphale laughed uncontrollably. Even the Bentley seemed to be amused by this, recalling something similar happening to her the first time Crowley brought her here.

One orb left the rest to approach the demon, asking something. Crowley looked at it fondly. (“Do you think he likes us?”) “Without a doubt.” 

It hummed again. (“Will you bring him more often?”) "Count on it." He said, his smile still not fading. It asked something else, this time in a worried manner. (“Does it bother you that we ask so many questions? Will you ever make us stop?”)

Crowley shook his head. "No, not at all. Never."

After a while, he called off the orbs and started showing Aziraphale every inch of the nebula. They had a wonderful time, and decided they would return soon enough, not just in a century's time. This was such a place of comfort for both of them now that it was hard to say their goodbyes when the time came. The ride back was pleasant and nowhere near as nerve-wrecking for the both of them. Crowley was exhausted by the time they entered the bookshop and Aziraphale wasted no time in making a small miracle happen. With a quick snap of his fingers, a bed manifested above his shop. He guided Crowley upstairs and made sure he wouldn't hurt himself when he inevitably face-planted onto the mattress.

~~~~~

Surprisingly, the demon's continuous slumber only lasted two weeks. He heard some movement down in the shop and made his way downstairs because of it. Halfway down the stairs is when he noticed he was in his favorite pair of pajamas and not the clothes he had worn for the trip. The angel's doing no doubt, since he blacked out as soon as he hit the bed.

When he finally made it down, he was shocked to see so many boxes, presumably full of books, since most of the shelves were almost empty.

"What's going on here, angel?" He asked, groggy as ever.

Aziraphale popped out from one corner, as giddy as a child in a candy store. "Ah, good, you're up!"

Crowley kept inspecting the surrounding area. It was strange seeing it so bare. Last time it was like this was when Aziraphale first purchased it. It didn't feel cozy at all now. "Angel, what-"

The angel knew he had some explaining to do. He grabbed Crowley's hand and lead him to the old couch, which was the only bit of the shop which remained the same for the time being. "Right. Let's just get comfortable."

As they sat, Aziraphale's smile went from confident to nervous. Crowley raised both brows, waiting for him to say something.

The principality cleared his throat. "While you were sleeping, I had a lot of time to think. About many things. But the constant was always you. And after one whole week of considering it, I finally decided..."

"Decided on **what**?" Asked the demon, concerned.

Aziraphale sighed, smiling fondly at the walls of the bookshop. "I'm selling this place. I found a lovely cottage in the South Downs, purchased it and I'm expected to move in by Sunday." He said, Crowley's mouth agape from the sudden information dump. He began stuttering, not sure where to even begin asking. Before a proper word or full sentence could form, Aziraphale grabbed his hands.

"And, if you think you can part from your flat, I would love for you to live there with me-"

"Angel-"

"-as my husband."

Silence fell over the room as Crowley tried to process the words that had just left Aziraphale's mouth. His husband. **_Husband_**. The angel had just proposed to him. When he looked down at their joined hands, he noticed a black band on his left ring finger. How did that get there? It certainly wasn't a miracle, he would've felt it. He concluded that the blue-eyed being finally mastered a magic trick.

"Darling?" Asked the angel, trying to get Crowley out of that short-circuited state of mind.

The demon's mouth was still agape but at least now he was looking at Aziraphale. The angel smiled. "I love you, my dear. With every fiber of my being. And even though I know this is something that was made for humans, it just feels right for us... Crowley, darling, will you marry me?"

The fallen angel said nothing as he breathed and stared at the blond. He stayed like this for a whole minute, until his body finally kicked into gear and kissed the angel with a gentle passion, as if he would break. "As if I would **ever** say no to you, Aziraphale."

The principality sighed, relieved, as he cupped Crowley's face. The sweetest smile graced his features and the Serpent of Eden matched it. "To eternity." He said enthusiastically. 

The demon placed his forehead against Aziraphale's, closing his eyes. "To eternity." He said, his mind empty of any and all doubts, and his heart full of love.


	9. 8: A Little Bit Of Fun

It was a passing conversation they heard while strolling through the park one day. Fairly insignificant but it started a chain of events that neither of them would've imagined.

"No **way** magical beings can resist every single type of temptation, no way!" Exclaimed a teenager as he and his female friend rolled her eyes at him.

"They're not human, it's easy! They don't have a need for that sort of stuff!" She argued. Judging by the comic-book in his hands, that's why the subject came up.

He turned to her, smirking. "Bullshit! Every being wants **something** , they all have their weaknesses. No matter how grand they are!"

"So you're saying even **a god** could have a weakness?" She challenged arrogantly.

The young man shrugged, unsure. "Well, maybe not **a god** but a lesser being, sure!"

She scoffed, playfully shoving him away from her. "Right. Next you'll tell me an angel can succumb to all 7 of the deadly sins. Think logically, Teddy."

"I **am** , it makes sense, Neilla!" The other exclaimed, falling back into step with her.

The two of them continued to argue as they walked the opposite way. This caused the angel to laugh and Crowley looked at him curiously.

"What is it?" He asked, snaking an arm around the blond's midsection.

He pointed vaguely in he direction the two teenagers went in. "That young couple. Arguing about something so dumb."

"Which part of it was dumb?" The demon was beginning to think this could turn into something entertaining.

Aziraphale scoffed. "Well, besides the implied bit about God having a weakness, the remark about an angel giving into the 7 deadly sins. It's preposterous!"

Crowley stopped, prompting Aziraphale to do the same. When the angel looked to see what was wrong, the redhead smirked at him. "Is that right?" That toothy grin was very familiar to Aziraphale.

"Oh, I know that face. What are you plotting, you little fiend?" He asked sternly.

Crowley shrugged playfully. "Well, you say it's preposterous, but you know I like a challenge..."

"Your point?" The angel was trying to not roll his eyes but this proved harder than he thought.

The demon bit his lip. "Alright, how about a little... wager?"

And there was the eye roll. "Oh, good lord. What do you want?"

"This can be fun, bare with me. If I can get you to give in to all 7 deadly sins, in some way or another, by the end of the month, then you owe me something. Whatever I ask for. If I can't manage that within the next five weeks, I owe you whatever you want, no matter how much I protest." The redhead explained.

Aziraphale felt a small bit of temptation tugging at him, but this wouldn't be the first time this happened. This was related to Crowley, after all. "... **Whatever** I want?"

He took the bait, and the demon's grin doubled in size. "Whatever you want..." He extended his hand. Aziraphale, as he always did, shook it and sealed the deal.

"Of course, I **will** be winning this so, I suggest you get used to people giving you weird looks while we're out..." He continued.

Aziraphale then gave a smirk of his own before turning around to continue their stroll. He hadn't let go of Crowley's hand and he was now dragging him along. "Be as confident as you want, darling. This won't be as easy as you think."

With that, the bet was set in motion, and Crowley knew he had his work cut out for him. After all, this was Aziraphale. The being who had been there with him since the beginning of time, the person who knew him the most. Sure, he wasn't the most strict angel these days, but he was a little bastard in his own right, and Crowley knew that could ruin his plans. Either way, he was sure this was going to be very fun for one of them.

~~~~~

_**1- Gluttony:** _

The easiest of all. Crowley knew he would have no issue here. If anything, taking the angel out for dinner tonight should prove his point wonderfully. However, he knew that going out to eat would make the angel, by default, behave like a human. If they stayed home, however, the principality could consume all he desired without fear of the human patrons not getting so much as a nibble.

Two days after starting the bet, just to give the angel a false sense of security, Crowley woke up at the crack of dawn and headed into the kitchen. His plan for the day was simple: wake up his husband with enticing smells coming from the stove and encouraging him to not leave the cottage's small kitchen even after filling up to his heart's content.

To avoid making so much noise, the demon did a few miracles to take out all the ingredients. However, he did the actual cooking himself. Aziraphale could taste whenever something was just snapped up into existence. It didn't mean it was bad, but he knew there wasn't any effort put into it, and he savored his food more when it was not only delicious, but when he knew someone worked hard on it. Especially when it was Crowley's hard work.

The demon started preparing the batter for everything he planned on doing. Today's menu called for crepes, pancakes and waffles. As the first batch of each began to cook, Crowley turned on the radio, not too loud to ensure what woke up the principality was his sense of smell and not his hearing. The demon hummed along to whatever song came on the 50's station as he flipped pancakes.

Eventually, Aziraphale crawled out of bed and made his way into the kitchen. He yawned as he entered the room. "Darling?"

"Morning, angel. Sleep well?" Asked Crowley after crossing the room to greet him with a kiss.

The blond nodded."Just fine. I assume you didn't because you're already up. And busy." He said, gesturing to the piles of pure sweetness.

"I slept fine, I just had an idea, that's all." Crowley told him, walking away to turn off the stove before the last of the crepes burned.

"Does said idea involve all this food I see on the table?" Asked the angel.

"Yes, precisely. Have a seat." Insisted the demon, pulling out a chair.

Aziraphale went along with this, curious to hear whatever Crowley's logic was for all the food and the mess he currently had going on in the kitchen. "Everything smells lovely but what is the point of all this?" He asked as he sat down at the table.

"You enjoyed the wine tasting from last night, you were quite good at figuring out the secret ingredients of each one too, so I thought I'd do something similar for you but with food." Explained the demon.

Crowley grabbed the plate of pancakes first, bringing it to Aziraphale.

The angel's attention was gripped. "I see. Go on."

"The recipe is fairly basic, with two secret ingredients, which you have to guess. If you guess them all correctly, I'll make dinner tonight, whatever you feel like having." Said the demon, persuading him a bit more.

The principality knew what that meant. "And if I **don't** guess correctly, what do **you** win?"

"You go to the movies with me tomorrow night." He replied simply.

Aziraphale groaned. "Ugh, really Crowley? You know I hate going to the movie theater with you. You never shut up, and when you do, it's because you've fallen asleep!"

"It's a cheesy comedy, I need someone to hear the awful jokes from the movie, then laugh at my superior ones." Crowley said as he sat across from his husband.

The angel rolled his eyes, then focused on the plate in front of him. He inhaled blissfully, mouth already watering. Crowley slipped a knife and fork his way and Aziraphale began to indulge.

It became obvious, very early on, that Aziraphale lost sight of the challenge and only listened to his tongue, rather than his mind. He ate and ate while chatting in between bites and pleased grunts. The demon watched, grinning, as the angel finished the crepes and looked almost disappointed that there weren't any more. That was enough, Crowley had proven his point. He got up from the table, summoning a piece of paper to his hand and a pen in the other. He scribbled both their names onto it but drew a little line under to his own.

"The first of seven, angel. Only six more to go." He said triumphantly as he pinned the piece of paper to the refrigerator with two little magnets. One eggplant and one pear. Aziraphale assumed that pairing was random, because it made no sense. As the demon sauntered out of the kitchen, snapping his fingers to clean up the mess, the angel caught on to what the paper itself was actually referring to.

The blond turned towards the adjacent room, annoyed he hadn't caught on beforehand. "You sneaky, old snake." He muttered. "We're **not** going to the movies tomorrow!"

Crowley stifled a laugh. "I know!" He replied smugly as he watered the plants in the living room. He snapped his fingers again, and this made another plate show up in front of the angel. This one only had a single pancake with a message written in maple syrup.

'Love you.

-Your husband'

The angel scoffed with a role of the eyes. "Had I refused this bet, you'd be sleeping on the couch tonight."

By now, Crowley had walked back into the kitchen and placed his hands on Aziraphale's shoulders. "But you didn't. So suffer the consequences." The blond did not need to look at his demon to know the face he was pulling. Smug, having more fun than he should be, but the love oozing out of him made it a bit less annoying in Aziraphale's opinion.

~~~~~

_**2-Sloth:** _

Recently, this one was fairly easy to accomplish as well. The angel had taken to sleeping like a fish to water. Crowley was proud, and to think, it was just over a year ago that the angel had hated the idea of sleep. Now he almost looked forward to it as much as the demon did. Thanks to this, and some atmospheric coincidences, he was able to accomplish this sin by the weekend. You see, a very large storm hit the South Downs on that Thursday and the skies refused to stop pouring down freezing water until Monday afternoon. Crowley took advantage of this, convincing him that the days were just far too gloomy to get any work done around the house, that he shouldn't waste energy if he wasn't going to feel like he accomplished anything in the day anyway.

So Aziraphale gave in to laziness and actually managed to sleep for two full days. For the rest of the storm, he lounged around the cottage not doing much. He barely read. In fact, the biggest amount of energy he exerted must've been when he turned into his true form, just to heat up a shivering Crowley. By Monday, when the angel noticed the demon had already added another point to his score, he began being his productive old self again.

~~~~~

**_ 3 & 4- Pride & Greed: _ **

Book related shenanigans in other people's shops, Crowley never thought he'd see the day. Then again, he never thought Aziraphale would sell his beloved bookshop either. Or move into a little home in the country with him, for that matter.

One day, about a week after the storm, the couple went into the local shopping square. Mainly to browse, they didn't really have plans to buy anything specific. Although, when they entered an interesting little bookshop and Aziraphale went off in one direction, Crowley was left to his own mischievous devices and started plotting. He roamed around, noticing just how many of the books in this establishment were related to prophecies, religious, mythological or otherwise. The demon got to talking with the person who stood behind the counter and he quickly figured out that they were the owner of the bookshop. Seemed like a nice individual, though they also seemed to be disappointed by the lack of prophecy books in recent years. Apparently they were always looking for anything old or unique, and if anyone knew about old and unique, it'd be Aziraphale.

"Y'know, my husband used to own a bookstore too. He always managed to get first editions on just about everything. No idea how, I suppose he was just blessed in that regard. Anyway, he always came across very valuable texts. Maybe he can give you a good lead or two." Said Crowley while he leaned over the countertop.

The snake clearly had the young human's interest, judging by the widening of eyes and the smile that came on their face soon after. "Do you really think so, sir?"

"Oh, **definitely**. My husband is the nicest being there is on this planet. I'm sure he'd help out, if he could." Insisted the redhead.

The shop owner seemed to be in high spirits as they turned away from Crowley to ring up another customer's purchase. With that, the demon sauntered through the various bookshelves scouring for his better half. It didn't take long to find him, he was sitting in a cozy loveseat flipping through a book about poetry. The skinny legs and tight black pants that came into the angel's peripheral vision were enough to tell him who it was, even if he hadn't felt his aura.

"Hello, darling. Where have you been?" He asked, looking up at him.

"Just chatting with an employee." He said vaguely, hands in his pockets. "Find anything you like?"

"Actually, I have. I've been trying to get into modern poetry, as you know, and I think these two books will help me do just that."

"Ready to leave?" Asked the demon as he extended his arm to the angel below him.

Aziraphale nodded and took his hand. "Yes, dear. Let's be off." He smiled, standing and gripping the books tightly.

When they went to pay, Crowley glanced at the owner's name-tag to address them directly. "Angel, Sammy and I were talking about your selection back when you owned the bookshop. I think they'd like to hear more about it from someone who actually **likes** discussing literature."

Aziraphale's face lit up. The one thing he enjoyed more than talking about books was talking, sometimes bragging, about his collection. "Well, where do I start?" He asked, the giddy smile too evident to contain.

As the angel chatted away and showed to be a bit more prideful than the redhead had expected, Crowley drew an imaginary point on the palm of his hand. This point manifested onto the piece of paper back home.

_Not even bothering to **pretend** to take criticism because you're **that** proud of your stuff? Really, angel? Maybe I've rubbed off on you too much._

He let them talk some more, then pretended to have a lightbulb go off in his head. "Ezra, love, don't you still have some first edition copies of Oscar Wilde laying about the cottage? Or was it Ernest Hemingway? Whatever, you get my point; **special** , **valuable**. Maybe Sammy here would like to take them off your hands." Said the snake, grinning in a way which would seem very loving to anyone else, but Aziraphale knew that was the face his demon pulled whenever he was trying to get on his nerves.

Young Sammy looked very intrigued, they would've been downright excited if it wasn't for that nagging voice in the back of their mind telling them not to get their hopes up. "Sammy would **indeed**. If you have them, of course."

Aziraphale feigned pity, like a professional actor too, before speaking again. "I'm very sorry, my dear. I sold or donated practically everything after closing the shop." He began.

_**There's** the greed, never willing to part with any of them, wanting them all for himself. Can't believe this actually worked!_ He thought as he added another point to his palm.

"The ones Anthony here is referring to are the only ones I kept because they were my favorites. I can't part with them." He explained, lying so well that the demon almost worried for Aziraphale's Grace. But then he remembered all the other things the angel had done, worse than this, so he stopped thinking that way.

"Oh, I completely understand! Too much sentimental value." Said Sammy, unsurprised but a bit disappointed.

And Aziraphale, being the soft and helpful individual he was, gave the owner something else. He reached into his wallet, taking out a small white card. His old business card to be exact, with a number scribbled onto the back of it. "This is the number of an old associate of mine. He'd always tell me where I could go to find rare or interesting books. Perhaps he can help you as much as he did for me." Said the angel with a little smile.

Sammy returned the facial expression, looking over the card. "Thank you so much, Mr. Fell."

Aziraphale smiled wider this time, recalling the recent change to his human alias and momentarily forgetting his annoyance towards the demon. "Actually, it's 'Mr. Crowley' now. That card is from before we were married."

Crowley wrapped an arm around Aziraphale, pulling him closer and he placed his head on the angel's shoulder.

Sammy tried their best not to audibly coo at the couple as they rang up their purchase. Soon after, the angel and demon left the shop. Upon climbing into the Bentley, Aziraphale slapped Crowley's knee, annoyed. "Really, my dear? Telling someone I'd sell them my first edition Wilde? You're lucky I love you so much."

Crowley nodded as they pulled away from the parking space. "Indeed, I am..." He said smugly as he sped away from the town.

~~~~~

**_ 5- Wrath: _ **

Even though he didn't like seeing his angel angry, Crowley was too stubborn to skip over this sin. He was trying to prove a point after all, and he wasn't going to back out of a bet so easily. He just had to find something which would make Aziraphale turn red from the fury. Book or food related, he thought at first. That was, of course, until they went to a play and Crowley thought he could use other people to help him out.

During the intermission, Aziraphale went to get something to munch on and Crowley leaned back in his chair, to the group of bored teenagers who were only there because of a school assignment. He bribed them all to talk during the play, not enough to get thrown out, but just enough to get on Aziraphale's last nerve. Considering they were only watching Hamlet, Crowley assumed it would take a long while for the principality to become annoyed, since he knows absolutely everything about this story.

Turns out, the angel can't stand anyone talking during Hamlet. It's his favorite, always remembers the sweet gesture Crowley did for him in 1601 and he enjoys it with the same affection every time. So the demon was very shocked to see Aziraphale turn around and angrily scold the teenagers, to the point where one of them was trying to sink further into the seat because he was so intimidated. Crowley calmed him down and they continued to enjoy the play. As he put his right arm around his husband, he used his left hand to give the students the other half of the money he promised them before they became slightly traumatized by the blond entity. Aziraphale pretended not to see the handoff or when Crowley added yet another point to his score. 

~~~~~

**_ 6- Envy: _ **

Considering they could both have whatever they wanted with just a snap of their fingers, this one would be a bit more challenging. Eventually, after three weeks of thinking it over, he settled for relationship jealousy instead of the usual type of envy because it'd be close enough.

This happened when they went to a new sushi restaurant that opened in London recently for their date night. One particular waitress kept giving Crowley heart-eyes as soon as they entered the establishment. It wasn't the first time this happened. Crowley attracted people, he just **did**. However, usually the attracted people would be more aware about their glances. This woman was anything but. Surely she must've seen their wedding rings, thought the angel. Aziraphale tried ignoring it, tried ignoring **her** , but he couldn't. Especially since Crowley was playing coy, pretending he didn't see the attempts at flirtation, the light arm touches as she checked on them, the way she barely bit her lip while looking at him.

Aziraphale huffed, fairly annoyed at one point when she walked away. Crowley raised a brow at him. "You alright, angel?"

"Do you mean other than watching a horny little waitress flirting with my husband? Yes, I'm absolutely fine. Tickety-boo." He spat from behind his glass of sake.

Crowley waved him off, leaning onto their table. "Oh, she flirts with everyone. It's part of the job." He said dismissively.

"Is it also part of her job to stare at you as if you're an oasis in the middle of the Sahara desert?" Asked the angel, putting his glass down and shoving a piece of salmon into his mouth.

_Such an attitude_... "Maybe she's staring because I still have my sunglasses on, even though it's 9 o'clock. Maybe she likes the glasses. Maybe she's wondering what's wrong with my eyes."

"Really? Well, if that's the case, go to the bathroom." Said the angel.

The demon tilted his head like a puppy trying to hear something over his giant ears. "Why would I do that?"

"Doesn't matter, just do it so I can prove my point."

Crowley sighed, pretending to be annoyed. Really, he was enjoying this. He knew the angel was always catty in some way or another, but ever since they got together, that aspect seemed to be even more entertaining than before.

The redhead stood, straightened out his sleeves, then sauntered over to the restrooms at the other end of the restaurant. He made sure to pass by their waitress both going and coming from the bathroom. Both times, her neck almost snapped out of place.

When Crowley made it back to Aziraphale, the angel was even more upset. "You see? I was right. She was practically drooling over you!"

The demon laughed. "Oh, come on, angel. You yourself have told me my hips are hypnotic! So someone else was caught in their spell, so what?"

"Only **I** should be allowed to look at you that way..." Mumbled the angel possessively.

"Anyone can **look** , angel. You're the only one I'll respond to." He said, tracing a line on his palm, smirking at the blond sitting across from him.

The principality groaned heavily before focusing on their food once more. The waitress continued eyeing down the demon for the rest of the night, but Aziraphale finally had enough when she slipped a tiny piece of paper into Crowley's shirt pocket. When she walked away, the angel snapped his fingers to retrieve said piece of paper. It had her name, phone number and something Aziraphale assumed would be an online username of sorts. He drowned it in soy sauce and smiled at Crowley while doing so.

When they went to leave, she passed by them and pinched Crowley's behind. That was it, the final straw. Aziraphale snapped his fingers and she somehow tripped over her own feet, the leftovers she was carrying from another table landed all over her, making a huge mess.

_What a petty little angel you are. I love you so much._ Crowley felt Aziraphale snake an arm around his waist and lead him out of the restaurant.

"You didn't leave a tip when you paid, did you?" Asked the demon as they sped through the countryside.

"I **had** , until she touched your buttock..." Answered the angel honestly. They laughed all the way back home.

~~~~~

_**7- Lust:** _

There was only two days left for the demon to win, unfortunately for him, he believed he had left the hardest sin for last. It wasn't done on purpose though, it's just that he spent **far** too long prolonging envy and wrath, when he should've been doing something for this one instead of the others. After all, Aziraphale was an angel. Tempting an **angel** to carnal desire would surely be difficult, maybe even impossible. Crowley's only saving grace for this challenge was that he had a secret weapon of his own, (which he foolishly forgot to use beforehand) and he intended to use it now to ensure his victory.

Much like Aziraphale and his ability to sense love, Crowley could sense lust. However unlike Aziraphale, Crowley had a switch of sorts and could only sense it when he was actively searching for it. Aziraphale tended to get slapped by flashes of love almost every time they went out but he had grown accustomed to it. Crowley caught on, very early in his time on Earth, that humans felt lust. And **a lot** of it. It would become distracting when he was supposed to be tempting in any other capacity, and would sometimes veer him off towards the lustful souls to finish them off. This would always set him back. So, he forced the ability to bend to his will (easy to accomplish when you're a demon with an imagination). Over the millennia he'd flip it on and off as the job required him to, so naturally, it was never on when he was with Aziraphale. 

This is why the realization almost floored Crowley when he finally did turn it on near him. The little principality **did** have some lust in him. It was hidden deeply within, repressed, but it was undoubtedly there. The serpent now had a choice to make: either he could attack Aziraphale hungrily to bring out all that pent up desire, **or** , he could test just how strong his angel was. Crowley, the curious creature he had always been, picked the latter.

He made his way over to the couch where Aziraphale was reading peacefully. Rather than sitting today to read, he was lying down and holding the book on top of his chest. Crowley sat down on the couch first, then slumped over onto the angel. First, his head was on Aziraphale's stomach, which prompted the angel to lift the hardcover just enough to see the demon.

"Something wrong, darling?" He asked, wondering why he decided to invade his personal space now.

Crowley hummed, slipping his arms around the angel. "I just want to be close to you. You can still read while I'm here, can't you?" He whined, dragging himself up higher on the blond's torso until his face was buried in the curve of Aziraphale's neck.

The angel sighed, knowing that Crowley always got his way eventually. "Very well." He settled the book on top of the snake's back and he kept reading it.

Crowley nuzzled further into the angel, planting so, **so** many kisses against the principality's neck. He would do this all the time when they cuddled, it was nothing new. The only difference was that, now, the demon could feel the faint hints of lust coming from within the angel. If it weren't for Crowley's ability, he would've never known. After all, Aziraphale wasn't actively reacting to the kisses. Maybe he'd twitch because he was ticklish, but that was the extent of it. The demon knew the lust was growing with every movement from his lips against the blond's soft skin, but the angel's ability to keep the urge buried was impressive.

The lanky being decided to change it up a bit, giving him more open-mouth kisses. He sucked on Aziraphale's neck too, and this seemed to get a reaction from the angel because he dropped the book for just a moment. _Finally, some progress_... Crowley thought to himself, feeling the ball of lustful energy beneath him getting bigger. The demon lightly nibbled on Aziraphale's collarbone next, which earned him a very distinct hum in response. The blond tried to focus on the book again but failed, now only being able to focus on Crowley's mouth and the unbelievable things he was doing with his tongue.

"~Crowley~..." Moaned Aziraphale, shifting his hips upwards towards the demon. _There you are..._ The internal dam, which had kept the desire at bay for millennia, was cracking by now, no doubt. He could sense it. Just a bit more and the angel's lust would be as noticeable as the demon's love always was.

The demon dragged his sharp teeth along the principality's neck once more and this got another moan. _Really, angel? I would've never thought you were into **biting** , of all things..._ Before he could do anything else, Aziraphale whimpered and took Crowley's mouth into his own. _There goes the dam..._ He thought before the chubbier being parted from him, throwing the book to who-knows-where.

"You win! You win, alright? Just take me to bed, we'll get to the bet later. I **need** you..." He said desperately between breaths.

Crowley looked down at him and laughed. He **laughed** , Aziraphale couldn't see what was so amusing and he glared at him for it. The demon smiled down at him. One of his hands went down his body, reaching his crotch and feeling around the area only to find nothing. "You **need** me, and somehow, you haven't even made The Effort yet. You truly are something else, angel."

Aziraphale rolled his eyes. "Do you know the type of mess I would always have down there if I had an Effort of any kind **at all times**? Especially with you, always roaming around my body? I'm practical, I have nothing there unless it's going to be used."

Crowley's jaw dropped and his eyes went wide, pleasantly surprised by that statement. "Ooh, not as innocent as I thought? Tell me more."

The angel groaned, pushing him off so he could stand. He then threw the skinny demon over his shoulder and walked out of the living room, towards their bedroom. "If you **must** know, I only thought of you when I did that sort of thing..."

"Likewise." Replied the demon nonchalantly before being thrown onto the mattress.

~~~~~

They both laid in bed now staring at the ceiling, satisfied smiles gracing their faces. The silence had been nice, until Crowley decided to start teasing him again.

"My sinful little angel." He said in a giddy and posh voice.

Aziraphale sounded more stern but he was still soft. "Shut up."

"Are you kidding? I am **never** letting this go! This whole time, I thought you had no interest in such a thing. You never mentioned it, never tried for anything more after a good make-out session. I thought you were completely content. Had I known you were as worked up as I was, I would've taken you the first night you stayed in my flat!" Grinned the demon.

"I highly doubt that would've gone well. The liquified remains of a demon in your office were the exact **opposite** of arousing. Having to clean it up certainly didn't help either." Said Aziraphale with a small shudder of disgust.

Crowley chuckled, now on his side and looking at the angel. "Alright, you have a point. Still, I would've tried after dinner at the Ritz. The way you raised your glass to the world, that loving look in your eyes, the way you sounded? My insides were turned to mush." He said, nuzzling his way under the blond's chin. Featherlight fingers dancing across his chest.

The principality sighed contently. "Had I known that, I wouldn't have waited for you to make the first move... So what is it you'll have me do, now that you've won our little wager?"

" **Originally** , I planned on proposing in an exaggerated manner-"

Aziraphale glared down at him, interrupting. "Whatever for? Did you forget we're already married? For goodness sake, the only thing you still have on at the moment is your wedding ring!" He exclaimed, bringing up Crowley's hand as proof.

The demon smiled at the ring before focusing on Aziraphale again. "You **hate** being the center of attention when we're out in public. I figured proposing on a Sunday afternoon, in front of the bandstand, while the park was full of people, would get on your nerves to no end. My little prude of an angel, being forced to passionately kiss me in front of all those souls, because if not, the mob would want to defend lil' old heartbroken me."

The angel rolled his eyes and lightly pinched Crowley's bottom. The demon nearly jumped in response. "You really are a little cunt sometimes, I do hope that you are aware of that." Said the blond in a fussy voice.

"Angel, don't speak like that. You're sexier than usual when you curse. I'll never let you leave the bedroom..." He threatened, in the least threatening way possible, as he kissed the angel's neck. "Besides, that's not what I want anymore."

Aziraphale raised a brow. "Then, what do you want me to do?"

"That thing you did with your fingers, for a start. Really, just explore me like **that** any chance you get. Forget about showing you off or embarrassing you. I want you all to myself now..." Said Crowley, wrapping himself around the angel's chubby body.

Aziraphale smiled, shaking his head before gently pulling Crowley up to meet his face. Those big yellow eyes looked quite different now, after a good shagging. The angel seemed to like it. "You already have me all to yourself. I am yours, every little bit. Just like you're mine."

Crowley nodded, his hand gently resting on the angel's cheek. "Only yours." He told him, leaning in to kiss him ever-so-sweetly.

"Only yours." Replied Aziraphale between breaths as their tongues danced.

From then on, Crowley never bothered turning off his lust detector when near the angel. It took some getting used to, but he thought it was worth it. He didn't need to know when anyone else was feeling that, but when it came to Aziraphale, he never wanted to let a moment of desire go unnoticed. It proved to be a very handy tool some days too (pun both intended and not), since the principality still wasn't as forward with lust as Crowley was with love. They knew it would take time, but considering they have plenty of it, they were just fine with a few minor setbacks until they were as comfortable as two pieces of the same soul.

**_ The End. _ **


	10. Bonus: Art

So, since I really liked my true-form concept for Aziraphale in chapter 7 of this book, I commissioned the immensely talented Alice Rovai to do this piece for me: 

  
[He’s soft, in every single way.](https://my.w.tt/iSligRMYy7)

It came out exactly how I envisioned it and I can't praise her enough for it. If you love Good Omens fan art (or just really pretty and gently styled art in general), do yourself a favor and follow her on Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter! And it's not just Good Omens, she's also into Ducktales, David Bowie, she even made a graphic novel about Pinocchio which is worth checking out.


End file.
